In a given year audiences will be bombarded with a handful of generic films. While some may be poor in quality or just plain awful (the musical Nine, and too many recent horror films come to mind) others can be remarkably good despite conventions. Chloe, the latest film from Canadian maestro Atom Egoyan, may not be one of the best thriller/melodramas you see this year, but it will definitely leave an impression on you as you leave the cinema.
The first thing that would draw anyone to this film is the slated acting talent. Julianne Moore plays a Toronto Doctor who is happily married with a talented teenage son. But when her husband David (Liam Neeson) misses a flight and his surprise birthday party, Catherine’s long simmering suspicions rise to the surface. Suspecting infidelity, she decides to hire an escort (Amanda Seyfried, of Mean Girls fame) to seduce her husband and test his loyalty. Catherine finds herself ‘directing’ Chloe’s encounters with David, and Chloe’s end of the bargain is to report back, the descriptions becoming increasingly graphic as the meetings multiply. The line soon blurs between her own infidelity and her husbands that climaxes with an encounter to remember. Julianne Moore is brilliant, as usual, mastering the nervous ticks and actions that come with paranoia, while Liam Neeson matches her perfectly, despite the fact that most of his scenes were shot only a few days after his wife’s fatal skiing accident. However the surprise of the film comes from the very solidly acted part of Chloe, which shows that Ms Seyfried has more depth to here than her previous dumb-blonde roles would have led to believe. Her opening voice-over describes how it is her job not only to perform as, but to become a prostitute; a role which she accomplishes very well throughout the film. It is only a shame that Egoyan did not develop this character more, as she was by far the most interesting.
Based on an infamous French film made only a few years ago, the Canadian remake does not attempt to tone down the almost violent sexuality that can be found throughout, which is sure to be a hit for many viewers. Instead, however, the sexuality has been paired off in different sections, almost juxtaposed with periods of quietness that really attempt to show off Toronto in its newly refurbished glory. Prior to important plotted scenes, such as Julianne Moore’s first meeting with Chloe after her reconnaissance, are almost always after almost random shots of the city’s expensive and ritzy Yorkville and Bloor neighbourhood. One has to think they were chosen by the director to show off the parts of Toronto that reflect his personality best, rather than vice-versa. Though they are beautifully photographed, like the rest of the film, they also seem to derail the action at some points.
As a thriller on its own though, the film cannot fail to impress. Egoyan plots everything very carefully, weaving a very impressive web of dreams, desires, and reality. Parallels emerge seamlessly throughout, creating a strange sense of deja-vu, while the sex and violence and subterfuge build and build on each other. As recipe this cannot fail to succeed.
However, the film’s disappointment lies in its failure to build on the character Chloe and the fact that the action is taken away from too often by the directors tendency to indulge his desire to show off his home town. One gets the impression that had he balanced these two elements more attractively the film would have been much stronger.
