"If the one you love was lying to you,
how far would you go to find out the truth?"
Cinema 7, SM Megamall
Catherine (Julianne Moore), a gynecologist sets up a surprise birthday party for her husband David (Liam Neeson), a professor who commutes regularly between New York and Toronto. When David misses his flight home to Toronto, Catherine suspects that he is having an affair with one of his students. So she hires an 'escort' named Chloe (Amanda Seyfried) to seduce her husband and report back if he takes the 'bait'. Soon enough, a simple business transaction develops into a sordid affair tinged with betrayal, deceit and sexual tension.
An upscale part of Toronto sets the tone for this erotic thriller. It is exemplified by the beautifully adorned house and the tony private clinic. A glimpse into the lifestyle of the upper class who are materially secure yet they are also mostly lonely, confused and fraught with insecurities just like the rest of us.
Atom Egoyan, the Canadian director of Turkish descent tried to feed a sense of suspense by peppering the film with ominous music which tend to startle you out of your stupor. A stupor brought about by the electrifying screen presence of Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried. Her role as Chloe is a total contrast to her usually wholesome roles. Here she is mature, seductive and cunning yet she still maintained a youthful, playful demeanor. Liam Nesson on the other was undercast and not really utilized well even though he was the catalyst that got the plot into motion.
The story develops at a mostly steady pace with the occasional suspenseful twist(s) thrown in for good measure. I admit I was totally clueless about the twists and actually had to replay back some scenes in my mind to get the 'hints'. I also found the ending to be pretty 'convenient' and frankly that is quite unfortunate.
An upscale part of Toronto sets the tone for this erotic thriller. It is exemplified by the beautifully adorned house and the tony private clinic. A glimpse into the lifestyle of the upper class who are materially secure yet they are also mostly lonely, confused and fraught with insecurities just like the rest of us.
Atom Egoyan, the Canadian director of Turkish descent tried to feed a sense of suspense by peppering the film with ominous music which tend to startle you out of your stupor. A stupor brought about by the electrifying screen presence of Julianne Moore and Amanda Seyfried. Her role as Chloe is a total contrast to her usually wholesome roles. Here she is mature, seductive and cunning yet she still maintained a youthful, playful demeanor. Liam Nesson on the other was undercast and not really utilized well even though he was the catalyst that got the plot into motion.
The story develops at a mostly steady pace with the occasional suspenseful twist(s) thrown in for good measure. I admit I was totally clueless about the twists and actually had to replay back some scenes in my mind to get the 'hints'. I also found the ending to be pretty 'convenient' and frankly that is quite unfortunate.
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