In a film much like a modern adaptation of a 19th century British novel, director Julian Fellowes explores the extravagant length to which people will go to protect the truths on which they base their lives.
Anne (Emily Watson) and James (Tom Wilkinson) lead seemingly idyllic lives. James lives for his work and Anne lives for the weekends in their magnificent country house. James finds pleasure in the simplicity of his life; he enjoys his work immensely and relies on the predictability and comfort that Anne's presence provides. But one night, before a party hosted by Anne, a man on a bicycle is hit and dies. The evidence points to Bill (Rupert Everett), a member of another wealthy family and a self-proclaimed cad. Taking a small amount of pleasure in implicating Bill with the hit-and-run, James finds out more than he anticipated. This newfound knowledge forces Anne, James and Bill into an unlikely triad, one they all must work to uphold.
This movie is like a science experiment. Fellowes has isolated Anne and James, and forces them to deal with a situation that highlights the discrepancy between what they think their lives ought to look like and what they really are. It becomes increasingly apparent that James is enormously invested in what was formerly their life's fa?ade and which has now become their life's farce. James realizes his impotence to define his life because he operates under schema that cannot cope with change. It is only when the characters stop trying to uphold the lies that they are able to meaningfully interact with one another. The fundamental change they undergo is inescapable, for the alternative is self-combustion.
Despite all of these psychological machinations, the movie itself is smart and oftentimes funny. The dialogue is curt and biting, and there are instances in which a line repeated twice would illicit a laugh the first time and a grimace the second. The majority of the dialogue is between James, Anne and Bill, and the audience is conscribed with a sense of obligation to make moral judgments given the intimacy we are provided. It is in that act of judging that we implicate ourselves in the problem of defining one's life the way we would like to see it.
It is a testament to the acting prowess of Tom Wilkinson that this movie succeeds. The film primarily focuses on his reaction to the situations, and he is forced to express his emotions through a character that would rather not. Emily Watson is equally up to the challenge of being something of a tart while still retaining dignity and sympathy. And Rupert Everett proves that for some, debauchery comes without a price. Overall, the movie will have one's heart pounding over conversations in kitchens and late night walks in Paris.
