18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Flawed.....but definitely better than two stars, December 29, 2007
I disagree with the opinions of many of the reviewers of this movie; it is better than their two-star rating would imply. Yes, there are weaknesses: background on the characters, particularly the character played by Gillian Anderson and the two most agressive attackers, was sorely lacking. The ability to travel miles through the forest on foot in mere seconds stretched credibility, and personality reversals seemed to occur frequently and with indistinct motivation. Was the daughter actually being molested by her father's associates, or was it merely a possibility? What's up with the abrupt ending? etc...etc...
Despite the shortcomings, many scenes and situations were quite engaging. Anderson's character radiated an intense sexuality and her casual seduction of the security system tech was quite credible. I doubt that the "relationship" would have lasted long without the brutal interlude on their way home from the party, but once forced together by their shared horror and injury, the increasing pathology of their relationship becomes riveting. The gender reversal is a nice touch: she becomes stronger, dominant, and more bent on revenge; he shies away from violence, weak, damaged, and literally impotent.
Eventually, this reversal is reversed, albeit without full justification in my opinion. Her desire for revenge is quickly sated, far short of what was originally planned, while his accelerates dramatically. Another paradox is presented by the rapist/father: he claims to have only raped the Anderson character to distract his cronies from raping his daughter, but he did so with a level of brutality that does not seem consistent with a "fatherly" figure. Then, this brutal rapist/concerned father suffers remorse that leads him to attempt suicide, which will leave his daughter at the mercy of the men from whom he originally sought to protect her. Illogical, but an interesting sequence of events.
Likewise, the abrupt ending. At first I was shocked and disappointed, then I realized that nothing more could have been said or done. Any subsequent plot or dialog would have diminished the power of what occurred.
The mere fact that I felt compelled to spend time analyzing the motivation for these plot and character twists supports my personal conviction that there are moments of high quality in this production. When a movie is entirely bad, there is absolutely no compulsion for analysis. I admit that flaws and contradictions exist in this production, but like a stew made from things of varying appeal...in my opinion, there is enough here to justify the meal.
One final note: I agree with one reviewer in questioning the origination of the idea voiced repeatedly in reviews that the rapist/attackers were "hunters". It is clearly stated in the movie that the three men were out drinking and returning home. Hunting was never mentioned.
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14 of 14 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Gripping, disturbing and thought-provoking, April 10, 2008
Gillian Anderson is becoming more beautiful and interesting as she gets older. The round-faced freshess of her X-Files days is gone, replaced by a sleek steeliness. And in this film she's 180-degrees different from her X-Files character, and for us that's a very good thing, because we see a performance that's tough--aggressive, even--unnerving (and that's even before she and her date are viciously attacked), and yet still vulnerable. Much is communicated through facial expressions and body language, not dialog. Danny Dyer's Adam is a perfect foil to her toughness, being basically a big kid at 23 with a low-paying job and a general innocence and decency that he holds onto through most of the film. The circumstances presented in the film are really just opportunities to explore the characters, as they both deal with the aftermath of brutality in different ways, shifting toward and away from each other, phasing between power and powerlessness, outrage and fear, conscience and brutality--sometimes all within the same scene. In this film what's gripping is less the plot (although there are a couple of nice twists at the end) than the character study of two people whose already-empty lives literally implode and the choices they make in the aftermath. Every moment Anderson and Dyer are on screen is riveting. I stayed up way too late watching this movie because I had to see how their emotional drama played out.
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20 of 23 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Where the violence comes from, September 21, 2007
Great directing by Dan Reed, well known for his award winning documentary movies.
In "Closure", he is building up a thriller from an everyday 'regular' situation. Familiar urban environments quickly become grey and monotonous in an unsettling way, people gatherings also transformed: for example, the party scene looks like it is turning into a party of shadows. Equally unsettling is the depiction of muddy and drizzly countryside (the photography is outstanding). The sounds - whistling wind, rustling leaves, characters barely talking, mostly breathing heavily and moaning or yelling and screaming. All characters (both 'good' and 'bad') are alienated from each other, they meet and interact because they happen to be in the same, mostly wrong, places. All are emotionally empty, except for the rage and desperation which give them some short-lived intentionality and purpose. Very good Anderson and Dyer.
There is no closure after watching "Closure". The movie could have been longer than 80 minutes to allow the (very talented) director some space to better develop some of the characters. After watching it last night I was under the immediate impression of the violence depicted, but later on I was even more struck by desolation, sadness and loneliness of the characters' condition.
This is not the movie to relax, but the movie that will make you think.
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