The Affair

(2004) Topanga/ The Affair DRAMA

"It's not you- it's me!" excuse routine, with co-written and directed by Carl Colpaert has good for nothing, childless wife Jean (Kelsey Oldershaw) yearning for more attention since her successful workaholic architect husband, Paul (Horacio Le Don) is spending less time with her. Well, duh! As a result of feeling unfulfilled, she picks up and makes out with a care free, free spirited bumm, Viggo (Andy Mackenzie) she met at a house dance party, who sleeps in a van and owes people money. This as a result of filling unfulfilled of not having any children to satisfy her mom as opposed to her other siblings.

I hate movies in which one spouse has the affections all wrapped around a persons finger. In this case, it's Jean who has Paul wrapped in her little finger like she has him on a leash, in which she cheats on him with zero consequence- he does not even cheat on her as he has a job and she doesn't. The first time Jean cheats on her husband, he had the opportunity to divorce her, and it's not even a consideration, as she believes she has earned the money he brings home for cheating on him. He should be grateful he does not have any kids with her and end up in the Maury Povich show, for she would have sued him for spousal support. So what does Paul do, he becomes a whiner, like, there are thousands of other single woman who would not mind being with a successful architect and yet, all of his affections is geared toward her, as if she is the last woman on earth . Jean is a skank who does not mind exploiting the money he brings home on her extra-marital affairs. It is quite obvious those marriage vows meant absolutely nothing to her, for she just blatantly gives $1,500 to her good for nothing new lover. I agree with one of the viewers who said it's a movie that attempts to be an European movie but fails in almost aspect.

I was fortunate enough to catch a screening of this film, which I heard had just garnered several top awards at the Worldfest in Houston. I was particularly anxious to see the movie after learning it was helmed by Carl Colpaert, a talented producer/director originally from Belgium who has had the unique "Midas Touch" of discovering unknown talent and giving them their first big break. In fact, Kevin Spacey, Salma Hayek, Vincent D'Onofrio, and Renee Zellweger are just some of the "unknowns" who got their start in Colpaert's films and went on to stellar careers. THE AFFAIR is a very well-crafted dramatic love story, reminiscent of the simpler love story films of the 60s and 70s. Parts of the film which take place on the road reminded me of Stanley Donen's classic 1967 film TWO FOR THE ROAD, with Audrey Hepburn and Albert Finney. The beautiful Kelsey Oldershaw plays Jean, a young woman who constantly seeks an ever-elusive fulfillment in her life, largely due to a traumatic childhood experience. She is married to Paul, played by the talented Horatio Ledon, who is overbearing, authoritative, and seeks to control every facet of Jean's life. Jean finds a breath of fresh air in a hot affair with Viggo, played by Andy Mackenzie, a product of Topanga's Bohemian set who is the exact opposite of Paul. Viggo is like a wild stallion, untamed, unfettered, and eager to fill the gaping void in Jean's life. The film offers a quite surprising, non-traditional view of how Paul and Jean deal with this, for lack of a better term, bizarre love triangle. The film was shot beautifully on HD, with a classy fade-to-black cut after each sequence, to give one the sense of watching individual vignettes, Chekovian "slices of life," strung together in a linear yet loose and free fashion. With their excellent performances, Oldershaw, Ledon, and Mackenzie definitely have a great shot at joining the pantheon of Hollywood stars that Colpaert has had the knack of discovering in the past.

I could stomach this one. Unrealaitc characters. People just simply don't behave this way or say these things. Really just awful. Actors have no charisma or connection. The writing didn't help them at all however. Anyone who posted a positive review of this film was either involved in it or paid to, because this was just difficult to slog through. The female lead is unlikable fro.the start. Tou never feel any compassion or understanding towards her behavior. Her husband was so unrealistic. No man would act that way in the situations he found himself in, unless he was a complete simp, which I don't think his character was meant to demonstrate. Viggo qqs like a cartoon character. The whole plot was a mess and made no sense. Honestly, I like bad movies. I seek them out on purpose because I try to find something g redeeming or fun. This catastrophe had none of the above.

The film is a fresh breeze of 70th-style realism in our screen. The magnificence of the film is that it's deeply philosophical without being snobbish. In a few words the film shows how craziness of modern-day life destroys families without putting blame on either gender, but instead emphasizes on the affect of the society on relationships probably best described in the monologue of the "Frenchy". But the film perfectly avoids the diseases of many philosophical films: it does not fall into a "statement" movie shoving the ideas down your throat nor does it "artistically" over-complicates them. What makes it great that the film walks the fine line never falling into either of these categories. It's perfectly dynamic, watchable and enjoyable without compromising integrity. Did we become too dumbed down by media and rotten with all the aliens, vampires and violence garbage that we cannot watch a "normal" story anymore? I have no other explanation how this terrific film that received 4 golden awards went unnoticed by public and is even out if print now. Some user comments here confirm my point. What probably does not add to its popularity is that the film is rather gloomy and does not have a happy ending, it's simply truthful. On top of great plot and directing the film has an outstanding cast which is also probably out of the favor of the media. I have no other explanation why I never heard of these terrific actors. First and foremost is of course Kelsey Oldershaw who seemed to have no limits. She can show such a variety of emotions just by the expression on her face - it's amazing. Another great actor is Andy Mackenzie who has a wide palette of his own. My overall score: perfect 10.

Belgian Carl Colpaert has a solid reputation as the founder of CINEVILLE Releasing, as a producer of some very fine small films (Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont, Where Eskimos Live, Surviving Eden, Hurlyburly, etc) and has directed and written a few less interesting ones. This film THE AFFAIR (originally titled TOPANGA) tries hard to be a European flavored examination of relationships, but for this viewer it falls short not only in story (scripted by Colpaert and Lisa Larrivee) and in a fuzzy cast of TV actors, but also in the directorial stance of being in control of a story that needs a lot of attention.

Jean (Kelsey Oldershaw) is a bored housewife living in a designer house with her architect husband Paul (Horacio Le Don), a man of success who is so self-centered and controlling that he forgets his relationship obligations to his wife. Jean has residual scars from a traumatic childhood experience and her needs go beyond the wifely role, searching for some degree of excitement, passion and fulfillment not available in her marriage. At a local dance club she meets Viggo (Andy Mackenzie), a bohemian passionate, live for the moment guy who sweeps Jean off her feet in an affair that produces disaster in her marriage. The story concentrates on the intricacies of this love triangle, offering alternative ways to approach love, needs, and responsibilities.

The notion is solid (if quite over used) and there are aspects of the film that suffuse the atmosphere with tension and artsy techniques. But in the end the story and the actors elude our concern and we are left feeling like window peeping voyeurs, wondering why we are sneaking a peek. Grady Harp