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Enduring Love (film)
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Wikipedia article
'Enduring Love' is a 2004 British psychological thriller film directed by Roger Michell and written by Joe Penhall, based on the 1997 novel of the same name by Ian McEwan. The story concerns two strangers who become dangerously close after witnessing a deadly accident. It stars Daniel Craig, Rhys Ifans and Samantha Morton with Bill Nighy, Susan Lynch and Corin Redgrave.
Plot
Joe has planned an afternoon in the English countryside with his partner, Claire. As they prepare to open a bottle of champagne, a hot air balloon drifts into the field. The pilot catches his leg in the anchor rope, while the only passenger, a boy, is too scared to jump down. Joe and three other men rush to secure the basket. Just as they grab on, wind rushes into the field, and at once the rescuers are airborne. Joe manages to drop to the ground, as do the others, except for one who is lifted into the sky. They watch as the man falls to his death. Recalling the events at dinner with his friends Robin, Rachel, and Claire, Joe reveals the impact the incident has had on his battered psyche. The balloon eventually landed safely, the boy unscathed. Joe later goes to retrieve the body of the fallen man with fellow rescuer Jed Parry. Jed feels an instant connection with Joeone that, as the weeks go by, becomes ever more intense.
Days later, Joe, feeling guilty, spends time trying to map out ways that could have saved the man. One day, he receives a phone call from Jed, telling him to come outside so that they can talk about what happened. Joe looks out of the window and sees Jed standing across the road from his house staring up at Joe's window. Joe is reluctant but Jed promises that he will leave Joe alone if he comes outside and talks to him. After Jed makes some comments that make Joe uneasy, he decides to leave, telling Jed to leave him alone. Not too long after this, Joe visits a local bookshop and Jed makes an appearance, appearing to have followed Joe. Joe is confused and angered by this and tells Jed that he does not want to see him at all. Jed is hurt by this and continues to tell Joe to "be brave" and admit what passed between them at the field.
Joe then visits the wife of the man who had died and she tells him that she believes that he was having an affair after the police returned a picnic basket for two that was found in his car, along with an unknown woman's scarf. After hearing this, he decides to work out who was with the man on the day he died.
The next morning, Claire comes down the stairs and tells Joe that it is over between them. Joe, angry, pays a visit to Jed and they argue. Joe then gets drunk before going to Robin and Rachel's house where he stays the night. When he wakes up, his friend tells him that Claire just called and that Claire had told him to come over as Jed was in their house. Joe races to his house and enters the living room to find Jed and Claire sitting next to each other on the sofa. Jed looks as if he has been beaten up and falsely blames Joe. Claire appears to believe Jed's story. Joe loses his temper and then out of the blue, Jed stabs Claire with a kitchen knife and she falls to the floor, bleeding profusely. Joe then pretends to accept Jed into his life and they kiss. As they kiss, Joe grabs hold of the knife from Jed and stabs him. Jed falls to the floor, while Joe rushes to Claire's aid and phones an ambulance.
Joe returns to the field where it all started, with the wife and daughter of the man who died. They are joined by a couple who explain that the woman's husband had not cheated on her but was giving the couple a lift in his car. The picnic basket and scarf were theirs, and they were too embarrassed to intercede, as 'they' were having an affair. The wife is happy to discover the truth and said that she had believed her husband was cheating. Joe then tells the man's daughter her father was very brave.
Mid-way through the credits, there is a scene in a psychiatric hospital, where it is revealed that Jed survived the stabbing and is sat at a desk writing ominously, turning to smile at the camera.
Cast
* Daniel Craig as Joe, the main protagonist of the movie
* Rhys Ifans as Jed, the main antagonist of the movie
* Samantha Morton as Claire
* Bill Nighy as Robin
* Susan Lynch as Rachel
* Justin Salinger as Frank
* Ben Whishaw as Spud
* Andrew Lincoln as TV Producer
* Helen McCrory as Mrs. Logan
* Anna Maxwell Martin as Penny
* Corin Redgrave as The Professor
Critical response
The film received mixed reviews. Rotten Tomatoes assigned the film a score of based on reviews. The site's critical consensus reads, "While it strains credibility and isn't ultimately as profound as it might first appear, 'Enduring Love' is still an intriguing thriller fueled by strong performances from Rhys Ifans and Daniel Craig."
'Empire', however, voted it number 426 on their list of the 500 greatest films ever made.
See also
* Erotomania, the disorder depicted in the book and film.
References
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