That Thing They Did. Review on Closer Movie

“Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off, " "but it’s better if you do”. Natalie Portman said this to Clive Owen. And I was like, what does that supposed to mean? I mean, literal meaning can be figured out easily but if you see the movie and in the circumstances she uttered, it did not make sense until the climax.

Closer starring Natalie Portman (Alice), Clive Owen (Larry), Julia Roberts (Anna) and Jude Law (Dan) is a contemporary take on relationships, love, lust, infidelity et al.  It is a tragic tale of these four individuals who are interlinked to each other in ways they themselves sometimes are not aware of.

Closer

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Natalie and Clive almost won all the awards for supporting actors for this whilst the lead pair Julia and Jude did not win even one award.

Dan, a budding writer who currently writes obituaries meets Alice, a stripper in a freak way on the street. They get this thing going soon after.

One year later: Dan is about to publish is his first book which he has penned down based on Alice’s life. To advertise it, he gets photographed by Anna, a professional photographer. While at it, they happen to share a kiss which Anna felt was wrong on her part as soon as she comes to know Dan has a partner in Alice. Alice comes to the shoot and happens to overhear Dan’s pleadings to Anna for a romantic link up which Anna now knowing the presence of Alice in his life blatantly refuses. Alice tells Anna that she overheard their talks and starts sobbing and the moment gets captured by Anna.

One year later: Alice is still with Dan while he stalks Anna for a whole year. Anna avoids Dan, so in weird ways of taking out your frustration Dan enters a Sex Chat Room on internet and meets a doctor Larry. He tells Larry that his name is Anna and flirts with him while telling him to meet her (him) at the aquarium. Dan knew quite well that Anna frequents aquarium. But what he did not know that this act of his will bring together Larry and Anna forever. It’s quite interesting part of the movie.

Few months later: Anna is having exhibition of her photographs and one among them is Alice’s sobbing one. Dan and Alice come for it. Dan once again tries to convince Anna for a fling. This time she agrees but at the same time also goes onto marry Larry. However, Dan and Anna one day confess to their respective partners. Alice leaves Dan and becomes a stripper again. And heartbroken Larry sees her at the club. But she pretends to be someone else and not Alice. There she says “Lying is the most fun a girl can have without taking her clothes off, " "but it’s better if you do” to Larry. Larry asks for a one night stand with her.

Meanwhile, Dan asks Anna to ask for divorce from Larry. Larry agrees on the condition that she has to sleep with him once. She gives in. Dan comes to know. Dan ditches her, she goes back to Larry. Dan is all alone. Dan goes to Larry to ask Anna back. Instead Larry tells him about Alice’s whereabouts. And also tells him he slept with her. Now I end this here. All I can say here is at the end of this chase and desire no one was happy. Not that there wasn’t a love. Love indeed was there but they realized it later when everything went kaput.

The movie is not just about who slept with whom and how many times? It indeed gets puzzling yet it is like a puzzle you would like to get involved in. You do not have to rake your brains off to identify with the situations these people find themselves in. We all come across these kinds of situations and the movie teaches you what not to do. I mean, come on. How much does it take to stick to someone who loves you?

I have chosen three movies for my Love trilogy. ‘If Only’ being first followed by ‘Closer’. Soon third will follow. Let me share few more things and what better day than this V-day. So, taking it forward from ‘If Only’…

That heart wrenching moment which came courtesy someone you loved. Why does it become so difficult to take control of one’s life then? Those memories only make you weep more. Weep so much that it hurts. Soon that loneliness, that empty feeling becomes a way of life. When you think you are limping back to normalcy, one flash and its staring at you in your face again. That stab of pain which you got used to by now, leaves a fresh wound. You realize no matter what you do, it shall stay.  How can one person leave your world so shaken? All coz that person meant the world to you? You hate yourself for either having let someone have so much control over you or for not letting yourself love that person the way you should have and he/she deserved. In that cold isolation you decide enough is enough. Not easy, you admit. But heck, you take on life. A little wise, a little bruised. A tad incomplete, but whole nevertheless. For life moves on. Yes, it will but the loss will be there always and a part of your heart will be empty always. I do not want to end it in a sad tone, but then thats what most of us end up doing with our loved ones. On this day, I wish the better sense prevails. Here is what Ghalib had to say

Dehar me nakshe wafa wajah-e-tasalli na hua Ye wo lafz hai jo sharminda-e -mani na hua

The picture of love has never been a cause of satisfaction to anybody. nobody has been satisfied wid love how much ever they do or get. Love itself has been so great that nobody has ever been able to do it completely. And this is one word/feeling which has not been insulted by an equivalent.

I had forgotten the rest of the lines. Thanks Ava for completing this...

Kis se mehrumiye kismet ki shikayat kije

Hum ne chaha tha ki mar jaayen toh wo bhi na hua

Maine chaha ki andohe wafa se chootoon

Wo sitamgar mere marne par bhi raazi na hua

Who can I complain to about my lack of luck. I made my last wish-- that death should come. And I remained deprived even of that. I tried to escape from the sorrows of love, but my tormentor wouldn’t even let me die.

P.S. My fifth review in a row for which topic had to be MouthPaded.