I happened upon this film purely by accident and was expecting quite an enthralling visual representation of a latter day psychological thriller. The opening sequence was breathtaking and completely draws you into the initial reasoning behind Jed's (Rhys Ifans) interest in Joe. The shared experience they have makes their relationship believable but after this point, the story tends to lose momentum. Danil Craig (Joe) provides an outstanding performance and gives credibility to a character that is both enthralling yet subtle in his descent into hysteria. Samantha Morton is understated and handles the deterioration in their relationship with the right level of characteristic emotion. It is Rhys Ifans, however, that lets the film down. He no doubt tried to apply the appropriate amount of dementia to a his character, but it somehow loses the mark. You keep expecting him at any point to produce a sly smirk when delivering a line that's supposed to be implying a sinister edge. One cannot deny the cinematography was fantastic and some of the set pieces (especially the exterior shots)provided another dimension to an otherwise 'run of the mill' dramatisation. However, for someone who enjoys being captivated by a film, moved by the central characters and motivated to analyse the intricacies of a plot, this film let me down on two out of the three requirements.
Review of Enduring Love
