If you're not familiar with each, here's my quick synopsis of both:
Chloe is about a woman named Catherine, played by Julianne Moore, who suspects her husband of cheating, so she hires a young woman named Chloe, played by Amanda Seyfried, to tempt her husband and report back to her. Slowly but surely Chloe draws Catherine into her web and threatens to destroy her family. I will say that part of my thoughts contain spoilers, so SPOILER ALERT.
WFS is a documentary film about the deficiencies in K-12 public education in the US, and it also illuminates what are the factors that contribute to successful, sustained learning in a classroom.
Here's my notes on each:
Chloe:
- I like the three principal actors of this film, Julianne Moore, Amanda Seyfried, and Liam Neeson, I just don't like them in Chloe. They all seem to be going through the motions and it makes me feel like they were only there to get a paycheck. The effort from these three was lackluster, particularly from Moore. I was disappointed by that, even if they did have mediocre material to work with.
- I saw the big plot twist, which is when Catherine finds out Chloe was lying about the entire affair with David, about 20 minutes into the movie. That makes getting interested in the remaining 75 minutes very difficult, which is why the lackluster effort by the actors was even more apparent and disappointing. I can tolerate a blasé plot if the acting is solid, and it just wasn't here.
- My biggest problem with the movie was that I didn't understand why Catherine chose to see if her husband was cheating in this way. There was very little groundwork done with her character that made it believable that she would do this. That's shoddy screenwriting right there.
- The one scene that explains why Catherine and David have a strained relationship with their son is deleted. I know this because I watched the deleted scenes and saw the one where he explains why. I cannot fathom why this was cut, as it is a pretty HUGE character development point. Just unexplainable.
- I have enjoyed a few of Atom Egoyan's films (most notably The Sweet Hereafter and Exotica) but this one was terrible. I hope he rebounds with his next film.
WFS:
- I should start by saying I'm biased: my mom is a 4th grade teacher in a public school. This film made me appreciate that much more the hard work and passion she has for the students she teaches and the idealism she has for education. I love her so much and am super proud of her.
- Man, public school is screwed up! That's what I thought first when I left the theatre. WFS does a phenomenal job of clearly and easily laying out the problems with public education, how those problems arose, and what are some steps we can do to fix them. You can't ask for a better formula from a documentary.
- This film packs an emotional punch. You feel sad, shocked, and appalled when they outline the problems with public education (many of the people I saw the movie with cried at some point); you feel invested in the futures of the kids they profile, you feel optimistic when you learn about KIPP schools, and you may, as I did, feel inspired that we can do better for our kids when the credits roll.
- I think this is one of those films that everybody should see. I don't usually say that because with most movies I recognize there will be something that will not connect with everyone, but I think that this is one of those movies that everyone can learn from - even the teachers unions. One of the best documentaries I've ever seen.
So there you have it. Skip Chloe and track down WFS. If you'll excuse me, I need to go call my mom.
Oh... I loved Chloe...I usually have it playing on a loop. I thought Julianne's performance was great! Her character, Catherine, felt lost and so disconnected from her husband that she just wanted to know for sure if he was the cheating type. In an earlier version of the script for Chloe that I found online, Catherine says that she knew David had used a prostitute once before they were married...maybe including that little tidbit in the screenplay would have connected any gaps you felt about why Catherine would think to use a prostitute to tempt David. However, I think her meeting Chloe in the restroom (at a time when any young girl...like the waitress... felt like a threat to her nice evening out with her husband and business partner) and then walking out into a discussion the guys were having about prostitutes, connected the dots believably. I tend to believe however that Catherine wanted David to go for Chloe. She didn't want the guessing anymore, and she wanted to know what was sexually exciting to her then-distant husband. Of course, I don't think Catherine knew these motives...that is what makes her so human. She is just like us. We hardly ever know why we do the self-destructive things that we do...except perhaps in hindsight.
ReplyDeleteI'm also a sucker for symbolism. Atom's usage of glass to stand for each of the women is something, I'll admit, I'm gaga over. Catherine's glass is a window. Her whole house is made of windows, her bedroom/bathroom, her work office, etc. She is literally closed off behind sheets of glass...even if she looks accessible...like she does to Chloe. Chloe falls in love with Caroline and is then surprised to find herself unable to fully reach Catherine. Chloe's glass is a mirror. She tells us in her monologue at the beginning of the story that she takes a certain pride in being able to reflect herself as someone's fantasy... and then be able to disappear...exactly like when someone is looking into a mirror, seeing what they want to see, and then walking away...leaving it blank. This is so sad to me... Chloe doesn't realize that she does her job a little too well. She doesn't realize that Catherine only sees her husband when she looks at Chloe, so Chloe is nothing but Catherine's fantasies about reconnecting with her husband ("show me how he touches you") . At the end, when Chloe hangs on to the window, she is trying to hang on to Catherine, but she sees that Catherine doesn't come to her rescue. After Chloe goes crashing through the window, the other imagined windows in Catherine's world come crashing down as well because Catherine realizes that she had virtually ended up doing the same thing to another human being, Chloe, that she earlier accuses her husband of doing to her ("you don't see me"). Catherine realizes at the end that she is thankful for the opportunity to reconnect with her family and start again...sans the glass.