i had this weird urge to watch Closer over the weekend.  so last night after having dinner with jen, melai, joy, janice, ius & julie, i bought it on dvd.

it’s a story evolving around 4 characters: Alice played by Natalie Portman, Dan played by Jude Law, Anna played by Julia Roberts and Larry played by Clive Owen.

i find this movie so real and so brutally honest in it’s portrayal of relationships nowadays. it tackles desire, intimacy, truth and love so close to home that you just have to shake your head with awe on the screenplay. plus the acting is flawless. Natalie Porman is just beautiful and irresistible as Alice Ayres. Julia Roberts shocked me with all the filth coming out of her mouth.

this is my absolute favorite scene. bravissima, Natalie Portman!

this is another amazing scene. not my favorite but worth watching! bravo, Clive Owen!

here are a few of my favorite quotes:

PORTMAN: It’s the only way to leave. “I don’t love you anymore. Goodbye.”
DAN: Supposing you do still love them?
PORTMAN: You don’t leave.
DAN: You’ve never left someone you still love?
PORTMAN: Nope.

ALICE: I love you. Why won’t you let me?

ALICE: Oh, as if you had no choice? There’s a moment, there’s always a moment, “I can do this, I can give in to this, or I can resist it.” And I don’t know when your moment was, but I bet you there was one.

DAN: You think love is simple. You think the heart is like a diagram.
LARRY: Have you ever see a human heart? It looks like a fist wrapped in blood!

ALICE: Why isn’t love enough?

i’d like to talk more about the different themes this movie portrays, but after reading someone else’s review on it i knew i couldn’t say it any better. (translation: tinatamad na ako magcompose ng matinong review kaya sa kanya nalang ilalagay ko. :P) so here’s a good question she posts on her review and the link to it, if you care to read it.

In other words, it makes us ask ourselves: If love is only an accident, if desire and intimacy never reach below the surface, if truth and honesty are only self serving, how in the world is any relationship ever going to keep our attention, satisfy any longing more complex than hunger or thirst, or give us any reason to truly allow ourselves to be known, allow ourselves to be loved, and allow ourselves to actually know and love another person?
~ Elisabeth Leitch