Review of Closer (2004) by Alice S — 13 Jan 2011

Brutally candid in its treatment of love, lust, loneliness, and loss. Cited the play in my paper "Contemporary Drama Meets 20th Century Loose Mamas." Showed end of Anna and Larry's fight scene at an academic conference to illustrate how in modern society, it's not just the act of adultery that dominates but the verbal vitriol with which it is told. Went over well :~P.

Unclear: does Alice/Jane die at the end? She does in the play, but I had always assumed the last scene in the movie was just a pretty "can't take your eyes off of her" bookend. Upon rewatch, Justin pointed out that the pedestrian light is red as she crosses the street, perhaps foreshadowing her imminent demise. If so, Nichols could have made a slightly bigger deal about it - a slow-mo onrush of concerned passersby, crowding towards the bottom of the screen as the scene fades out.