The acting surprised me. I tend to be rather hesitant when it comes to Keira Knightley, but I thought she was turned out a honest and heartbreaking performance as Jo, a woman torn between her husband and the old flame with whom she never got a chance to have a relationship. Eva Mendes is an actress I generally see as a window dresser or relegated to poorly scripted and badly acted parts. It was refreshing to see her here. I was surprised by how well she turned out a decent, solid performance as the other woman in Michael and Jo's marriage. Sam Worthington also holds his own, possibly for the first time in his acting career, as Michael, a faithful husband facing the temptation to stray. Guillaume Canet steals the spotlight from Worthington, and this is unsurprising as he's clearly the superior actor. Canet and Knightley work well together.
Perhaps most intriguing is the way the film cuts back and forth between the two story lines. The editing between Michael's night and Jo's night is seamless, perfectly executed in all ways. When switching between story lines like this there can sometimes be an issue of balance, but the film never stumbles over this problem as it strikes a perfect balance between the two series of events.
Overall I liked the film and hope to see more from the film's first time director, Massy Tadjedin. The film lacks the dazzle and effects of a lot of films coming out these days, but there is something enjoyable about it's simplicity. Even the score, the work of Clint Mansell, was regulated to simple piano, a sharp contrast from Mansell's famous works for the films of Aronofsky. I highly recommend seeing this film if you get the chance.
~Lauren
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