Chloe [2009]

There’s a fine line between artful eroticism and mere titillation. It sure was indeed titillating to see the gorgeous soon-to-be-50 Julianne Moore making out with Amanda Seyfried, the buxom beaut half her age; but suffice it to say, the Atom Egoyan film Chloe didn’t manage to create what we subjectively refer to as “art”. The film, which is a remake of the French movie Nathalie..., began well. The seemingly happy marriage of Catherine, a well-established doctor, and David (Liam Neeson), a respected music professor, is crumbling. The wife suspects that her husband is cheating on her with his young students, and employes Chloe (Seyfried), a high-class escort, to test her husband’s fidelity. Unfortunately, what seemed to be going towards being a gripping and intense urban examination of marriage and mid-life crisis, took a sharp turn to instead become a cautionary tale of lust and obsession – all hinging on a twist never properly integrated into the plot progression. The eponymous character of Chloe, who at the end forms the fulcrum that brings the fast-receding couple together again, wasn’t developed enough for us to appreciate the slow devastation she starts wreaking on the unsuspecting Catherine’s life. The character of the couple’s alienated son, too, was half-baked. The acting in the film, however, are good throughout, with Moore’s being standout performance.








Director: Atom Egoyan
Genre: Thriller/Psychological Thriller
Language: English
Country: Canada