Review of The Edge of Love (2008) by Daniel A — 03 Jan 2011

There's very little in The Edge of Love that we haven't already seen before, but the performances are decent and Keira Knightley's beautiful so if either of those things do it for you, by all means give it go.

Not being familiar with the poetry of Dylan Thomas myself, I didn't feel much either way about the film's handling of the revered Welshman. However I can only imagine that fans of the great poet would feel somewhat disappointed by the The Edge of Love's failure at creating any meaningful link between his words and the lives of the characters it portrays. Furthermore Thomas himself, though well played by Matthew Rhys, is shown as something of a wastrel; spiteful and bitter, always lusting over what he cannot have.

The story follows Vera and Caitlin, two Welsh women living in the London Blitz, connected by a mutual love for Thomas. Keira Knightley plays Vera with a decidedly mature performance, nailing her Welsh accent and even convincingly delivers a couple of musical numbers. However it's difficult to notice the acting beyond her captivating beauty, something director John Maybury makes the most of through an endless supply of stunning close ups, resulting in Ms. Knightley's radiance being one of the most notable things about the whole film.

Opposite Sienna Miller gives an accomplished performance of her own, as good as anything else she's produced in the past. Meanwhile both Cillian Murphy and Matthew Rhys round out the foursome, both supplying admirable turns that make for a surprisingly well acted film.

Despite the fine acting, The Edge of Love is not a particularly good film. It's not a particularly bad film either, but sadly falls somewhere in between due to an unimaginative narrative that struggles to bring anything new to a type of film we've seen plenty of times before. From the London Blitz, which is dealt with in a strangely blasé manner, to the subplots involving infidelity, abortion and the lasting effects of war on the discharged soldier, it's all been done before and more effectively to boot. Furthermore the fact that none of the characters are particularly likeable doesn't exactly help matters.

Where the film does achieve some success is the in the friendship between the two women. Many viewers can relate to a friendship forged through a mutual love, but sadly pulled apart by it too. Also the overall look of the film is pleasing, stylishly recreating the wartime era with great costumes and notable cinematography. However these things sadly cannot cover the aforementioned problems, making The Edge of Love an average film that suffers from an unoriginal and emotionally-lax narrative.