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.

Wow. This was really special; both endearing and heartbreaking. Annette Benning and Ed Harris absolutely-and I mean ABSOLUTELY-crushed these roles. And Robin Williams, who I was not expecting to see, just compounds the feels that this movie brings.

Where this film really excels is within Tom and Nikki's time together. The viewer watches in slight horror as these two people form what appears to be an extremely charismatic and perfect bond. Tom is an amazing person who has unexpectedly been gifted a late-life chance for love, and I was on the edge of my seat waiting for the inevitable collapse when the truth about Nikki's intentions came out. Despite my heartbreak for Tom, I found equal sympathy for Nikki, who I never harbored any ill feelings for throughout her desperate attempts to conceal her secret. This story unfortunately has no happy ending (aside from a slightly controversial triumphant end for Nikki), and the job these actors and writers did to provide us a fleeting glimpse of a wonderful beginning and middle is to be commended.

Some issues are present which took me out temporarily. The very beginning is a little messy in terms of editing and flashbacks in an attempt to quickly introduce the viewer to Nikki and Gerret's relationship and tragic ending. Robin William's Roger is very interesting to me, however, the scene in which Nikki tells Roger she's found someone is jarring. The bluntness and swiftness to which Roger declares his dissatisfaction with this news and his feelings for Nikki seemed rushed and without further exploration or consequence. Roger generally felt sidelined when in fact I believe there was enough room in this story to make his role more impactful and draw more thoughtful questions to the audience's attention. Finally, I think Tom discovering the truth came a touch too late given the hints beforehand that something serious was going on. I ultimately enjoyed the way in which the reveal took place, but I can't totally look past the other places during the story where it could have also took place in a profound way (literally during the scene in which Summer finds out, for example).

This movie is a total gem. I think without some of the awkwardness listed above, this could easily sit at a 4/5. Maybe one day it will.

Also, Ed Harris as a good guy is peak.

WATCHED ON: Tubi

HIGHER OR LOWER: Higher.

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.

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.

Nikki Lostrom (Annette Bening) is devastated by loss of her husband Garret Mathis (Ed Harris). Summer (Jess Weixler) is their daughter. It's 5 years later. She stages open houses. Roger Stillman (Robin Williams) is her neighbor and friend. She starts stalking and then dating college professor Tom Young (Ed Harris) who looks exactly like his dead husband. She hides his resemblance from everyone. He's still friends with his ex Ann (Amy Brenneman).

Arie Posin sets up an interesting premise. I wish he had taken more chances. The movie never really raises the tension. This could be a highly emotional character study. Annette Bening is definitely a good enough actress to carry that out. This could be a case of obsession but it's not really. This could have been a lot of things but it never gets there. I kept thinking she could just tell him the truth. The movie could have moved to an even more compelling emotional landscape after Nikki comes clean with Tom. The movie feels stretched out as we wait for the inevitable reveal.