The Face of Love

Saw the US premiere of this movie at the Mill Valley Film Festival. The director, Arie Posen, described the inspiration for this film. His mother thought that she saw her late husband walking across the street one day. Of course, it could not have been him, but it was a powerful experience for her. I think many of us have this fantasy of being with a loved one again. It explored the fine line between extreme grief and mental illness. The movie is very well cast, with Annette Bening and Ed Harris delivering strong and believable performances - and chemistry! There were many suspenseful moments where the audience gasped - because we knew what was going on, but the other characters in the movie did not. Throughout the entire movie I was wondering how this could possibly end, but the film does manage to find a conclusion - it does not leave the viewer to write the ending, like so many movies these days.

Overall I loved this movie. Annette Bening is so poised and a natural who makes the story believable. Ed Harris does a decent job as well. For the most part it is a drama but there were some funny parts in it too. Yes the story is a bit far-fetched but for me it worked and it left me thinking which is always a good thing. There are themes of love, loss, grief, healing, second chances and renewal of lost passion. Loved the house she lived in! The use of artistry served as a wonderful backdrop for their relationship. I watched this twice and really enjoyed it. So good to see Annette Bening again! I wish she made more movies. Give this movie a chance. My mom liked it too.

The Face of Love (2013)

There is a terrific movie in here somewhere, but it misses on several subtle points here and there and ends up being good, totally watchable, and a nice view on Ed Harris (as Tom) and Annette Bening (as Nikki), the leading actors.

At its best, the movie dug into the nature of mourning and loss, and in love. The two main actors were struggling with losses, each, and ran into each other and some confused sparks flew. But the hook to the movie, and the problem really, is a quirk. Nikki sees Tom and he looks exactly like her dead husband (Garrett). So she has a weird attachment to him, and leads him on (a little like Vertigo in the second half). It's a fun idea, but it doesn't quite fly.

So really the movie follows this couple in their 50s falling in love. With the constant worry that the woman's psychosis will screw things up. You'll have to see. Warm, with perturbations.

Oh, and Robins Williams has one of his last roles here. He's nice and sympathetic, and maybe not quite enough for the role, which is the third leg to the whole thing in theory.

"Am I a bad person?" Nikki (Benning) is madly in love with her husband. While they are on vacation he unexpectedly and suddenly passes away. A year later she is still trying to get over him. When she goes to a museum she spots Tom (Harris), a man who looks exactly like her dead husband. This begins a complicated romantic relationship. First thing I have to say about this is that the acting is great and the movie is very emotional. The emotion that is invokes though is a mix between sadness and anger. Nikki makes you feel sorry for her and makes you despise her at the same time. You know why she is doing what she is doing but you can't help but see and feel how selfish she is being. The movie is a little slow moving but the anticipation of her coming clean is what keeps you watching. She is a woman who is hard to root for but at the same time you can't really root against her. That is the sign a a beautifully written movie. Overall, a slow moving movie that keeps the anticipation high which keeps you watching. I give this a B-.

I found the premise interesting but was quite surprised at just how engaging the film was. Without giving anything away, be prepared to be drawn into the anticipation in this film. Great cast, excellent acting and kudos to the director as he kept Bening right on point with how she looked at Ed Harris...you could really feel the depth of her gaze. Don't be put off by the film warnings as they were so minimal compared with most films online today and that made this film so refreshing to watch.