Film Screening 2nd September, 2014

Poster for The Face of Love

The Face of Love 

7:30 PM, 2nd September, 2014

  • M
  • 92 mins
  • 2013
  • Arie Posin
  • Matthew McDuffie, Arie Posin
  • Annette Bening, Ed Harris, Robin Williams, Amy Brenneman

Despite a cast with known actors in it, you may not know anything about this film; but that’s not because it isn’t a good movie. Bening plays Nikki – a woman who is still grieving over the death of her beloved husband five years earlier. However, when she one day happens to see a man in a gallery who looks exactly like her late husband (Harris), she becomes obsessed. She returns to the gallery again and again – hoping to see the guy. Eventually he does return and so she stalks him, intrigues him and then eventually a romance begins. But in this case she doesn’t want to shout it from the rooftops, instead she creates a web of secrets from her friends, family and the new man in her life.

If you have ever lost someone special, the possibility of seeing them again, no matter how crazy it might be, is just such an irresistible thing. I think that is why this film appealed to me in the first place, and I think director and co-writer Posin has taken that feeling and created a wonderful story without the usual clichés.

This is not a film where everything is wrapped up neatly or makes the viewer feel thrilled for the lovers. Instead it’s a film about being stuck – and how, ultimately, that can really keep you from living your life to the fullest. So be prepared to leave at the end of this film with a tear in your eye, but ultimately with a smile on your face.

Tamara Lee