The Sunday Leader By Sumaya SamarasingheAfter weeks of watching disappointing films with poorly used actors and sub standard scripts, Last Night by Massy Tadjedin was probably one of the best cinematic surprises of the month.
The story which is about fidelity and temptation is not anything new. But the brilliance of the film lies in its perfectly crafted script which keeps you on your toes wondering who will succumb and who will not.
The film stars British actress Keira Knightley, French actor/director Guillaume Canet, Australian actor Sam Worthington, and American actress Eva Mendes.
Knightley is superb as Joanna, a young talented writer who seems to have somewhat given up her dreams for the sake of her husband Michael’s career. They have been married for four years and live a charmed life in New York.
At a dinner party, Joanna observes her husband’s interaction with his beautiful colleague Laura, played by Eva Mendes whom he had never mentioned before and of course that little omission makes Joanna extremely suspicious.
Who is the woman after all who wouldn’t feel insecure if her husband had a colleague who looked like the stunning Mendes?
After they return home, Joanna and Michael have a terrible row which ends with Michael making early morning breakfast for them and Joanna reminding him what to put in his suitcase for his business trip with Laura.more
Domestic bliss? They do like each other a lot without a doubt, but the story is just building up, so we know that the tender hugs and midnight scrambled eggs will not last forever!
With her husband out of the way, Joanna goes out to get some coffee and bumps into Alex, her French off and on writer boyfriend prior to marriage; who quite obviously and despite being in a relationship continues to carry a flame for her! They decide to meet later for dinner and from that time onwards the film goes back and forth from Joanna to Michael, keeping the viewers at the edge of their seats wondering who will succumb or will not succumb to temptation.
The two male leads, though radically different in their acting styles are both extremely good despite the fact that Canet’s range of emotions still seem a little wider than those of Worthington who is better accustomed to action packed movies like Avatar, Terminator, Salvation and Clash Of The Titans. However both Worthington and Eva Mendes who unfortunately is rarely cast in any role which requires more than flashing her wonderful smile or showing off her physique, are extremely convincing as the other woman and the husband who is having some serious issues controlling his libido.
The film takes place during one night and as the evening progresses, temptation increases.
Last Night is about making choices which will affect your life forever. It is also about the very different concept of fidelity and unfaithfulness between a man and a woman. While Knightley shows immense physical control before her ex boyfriend who clearly loves her and appreciates her talent more than her husband does; others are getting dead drunk and heading towards obvious trouble.
The characters feel real and the dialogues are never forced, so much so that each person just simply could be you.
A very intelligently directed film which relies mainly on the talent of its actors and very little on sets which is a shame because New York is probably one of the nicest cities to film, Last Night may not be for everyone’s taste, but after a very long time, a film has been made for a mature and intelligent audience and therefore should not be missed.
