Directed by Bjorn Runge

Starring – Glenn Close, Christian Slater, Jonathan Pryce

The Plot – Behind any great man, there’s always a greater woman – and you’re about to meet her. It is crucial you get to know this woman – many of us already do and don’t even realize it. Joan Castleman (Close): a highly intelligent and still-striking beauty, the perfect devoted wife. Forty years spent sacrificing her own talent, dreams and ambitions to fan the flames of her charismatic husband Joe (Jonathan Pryce) and his skyrocketing literary career. Ignoring his infidelities and excuses because of his “art” with grace and humor. Their fateful pact has built a marriage upon uneven compromises. And Joan’s reached her breaking point. On the eve of Joe’s Nobel Prize for Literature, the crown jewel in a spectacular body of work, Joan’s coup de grace is to confront the biggest sacrifice of her life and secret of his career.

Rated R for adult language and some sexual content

POSITIVES

– Made for the stage. ‘The Wife’ has that rich air of authenticity in its volume stirring dialogue and devouring of scenery that transcends the silver screen, allowing audiences the chance to soak up the heat of the moment with such minimal distraction. This is a screenplay that takes its time with each setting, steering us through evocative dialogue between the characters that effortlessly raises the tension in drama, and it’s an aspect that kept my attention through all of its 95 minutes.

– Behind every great man, there’s an even better woman. I have nothing bad to say about Slater or Pryce as far as performances go. They both bring such nuance and intelligence to their respective roles. But this is a one woman show from the get-go, and Close remains a melting pot of dramatic impulse. With Joan, we have a woman defined by one secret that has haunted her for eternity, and it’s in Close’s ferocity screaming out from underneath layers of suppression that makes the character so mesmerizing. Even when her character is background for a conversation between two other characters, you simply can’t take your eyes off of her or her abilities to telecommunicate everything she is feeling in a look or stare.

– Much of the marriage between Joan and Joe felt to me like an abstract painting whose truth became clear the closer you approached it. When the film begins, they feel like two people beating with one cohesive heart, a sheer testament to the unshakeable chemistry between Pryce and Close. But as the film carries on, you start to see chips in the armor of their union, bringing to light aspects and objects that were originally delivered as nothing more than an afterthought but now bring a stimulating charge for what they represent. One such example of this is the walnut that finds its way into more than one pair of hands.

– Dual narrative storytelling. Runge as a director builds the meat of the story in present day from the memories of the past, which play as spicy ingredients when added to what we’re currently tasting. What is so brilliant about this is the side pockets of angst and pain that each character takes with them is on a collision course with one another, opting to finally be confronted when its impact will undoubtedly echo the loudest. It feels like boiling water in a teapot in this regard, in that its pressure becomes too much, forcing it to scream out from all of the building to this point, that becomes too smothering to ignore much further. Scintillating drama at its finest.

– In addition to the marvelous performances, much credit goes to casting agents Elaine Grainger and Susanne Scheel for bridging the gap of believability between two respective timelines. The younger portrayals of Joe and Joan are played by Harry Lloyd and Annie Starke respectively, and their likenesses to the older characters they portray is every bit as accurate as it is poetic. I used the last word because Starke is the real life daughter of Glenn Close, feeding food for thought on art imitating life in the most sentimental of measures.

– Upper class imagery. Because this film takes place in Stockholm (Although it was shot in Glasgow), we the audience are treated to these beautiful backdrops and luxurious interior set pieces that radiate the prestige of the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony. Metaphorically, these material things add more weight to the constant reminder of the dirty secret between this marriage, but in the literal display, the cleansing of our own personal pallet is simply too exquisite and cozy not to indulge in.

– Great conversation piece for the perfect time. To me, the most meaningful films are always the ones that you can’t wait to get out of the theater and talk about, and ‘The Wife’ will surely join the ranks as the latest in conversation starters for either of the respective sexes. For women, there’s obviously enough enclosed in the repressed past of Joan to nail the thought process of how far we as an equal-seeking society have come, yet still have so far to go, and for men there’s much to be debated on the merits and importance of a household run together by two equally important parents. I could go more into detail, but it would be reaching spoiler territory, and I think that the plot above already is giving away much more than I want people to know going into the film.

– Without question, my favorite scenes of the movie were Slater’s parasitic (Compliment?) writer character probes each character for answers on what they’re hiding. In this regard, Slater’s character feels like a detective who already knows what’s behind the curtain, and just waits for the big reveal that will allow him to pounce all over them. In the one-on-one meeting with Joan, it feels like a psychological game of poker between two champions of the game, who neither of them want to show their hand too early. It’s a fight for leverage that you could argue either side wins, proving as a testament to two actors who hone their craft with such personality.

NEGATIVES

– While I understand the intended purpose of the direction, there were elements about this ending that I found downright detestable. Without revealing too much, I can say that it feels like a regression for Joan, in that the one thing that has defined her life for the worst will remain with her until her dying day. Certainly mudslinging is unnecessary to characters who can’t defend themselves, but I required slightly more of an epiphany for her character than she rightfully received. With that said, I can respect the bonds and merits of marriage, even those that aren’t entirely honest with the perception they are depicting.

– For my money, I could’ve used more artistry behind shot compositions and overall lighting, that felt pedestrian when compared to everything else that is above average with this production. The camera work can be occasionally sloppy in its knee-jerking reactions to characters moving in and out of frame, and the imbalance of proper lighting tone to the camera causes the occasional out-of-focus shot that occasionally distracted me. These aren’t major problems, but a tighter grip on these minor aspects could’ve easily rendered this film as close to a 10/10 for me.

8/10