Close My Eyes Maclean's movie review
Feb 17, 1992Brian D. Johnson.
The story of an incestuous affairs between a brother and a sister, Close My
Eyes is one of the most impressive movies to emerge from Britain in years.
Exquisitely written and directed by English playwright Stephen Poliakoff,
it uses the incest taboo to dramatize sexual anxiety in an age of fear and
uncertainty. Close My Eyes opens a window on the wit, passion and
melancholy of English decadence. It is superbly acted and lyrically
photographed--luminous with the sensuality of skin and landscape. Not since
Last Tango in Paris (1972) has a film explored sexual obsession with such
generous eroticism and insight.
Richard (Clive Owen) and Natalie (Saskia Reeves) are estranged siblings who
are drawn together during a long, hot summer in contemporary London.
Natalie works as an office drone, but her life changes when she marries an
eccentric aristocrat named Sinclair (Alan Rickman), who lives in an elegant
judgment, Richard and Natalie become involved. Incest, compounded with
adultery, raises the sexual tension to diggy heights, and it is resolved in
scenes of torrid lovemaking.
In time, Natalie wants to end the adventure, which has served as a tonic
for her marriage. But Richard has become addicted to her. Meanwhile,
Sinclair's suspicions are aroused, but he prefers to close his eyes.
Flamboyantly sardonic, Rickman manages to be obnoxious and sympathetic at
the same time.
The characters form a classic triangle. But for a movie of such fine-tuned
emotional detail, Close My Eyes has sweeping social dimensions. Richard
works for an urban-renewal agency opposing the pell-mell development of the
London Docklands. His boss is dying of AIDS. And the camera captures the
changing face of England with images of dramatic contrast--from the forest
of massive cranes towering over the Thames, to the almost tropical lushness
of Surrey's riverbanks. Filmed over the course of 1990's unusually hot
summer, Close My Eyes is suffused with a warmth and light that are rare in
British filmaking. And by depicting Eros and civilization with such sultry
elegance, it is an exceptional movie by any standard.
Review Grade: A
Full Text: COPYRIGHT Maclean Hunter Ltd. (Canada) 1992Maclean's, Feb 17, 1992 v105 n7 p62(2)