I've seen this film many years ago and have watched it again tonight. It is a good film about two topics that don't get much attention. We often see jealousy on the screen, but it is often weak, humorous, self-harming or benign. We see mental illness on the screen, but it is rarely combined with something like jealousy. These two elements together form a deadly cocktail.
I say two, but here there are many small things that make this a recipe for disaster.
The film is intentionally ambiguous with some scenes, the boat scene with Martineau which was one of the biggest catalysts to his suspicions and the loss of her necklace, which she did indeed lose, but we are unsure if it was in the attic or not.
The fact is, audio/visual hallucinations, such as seeing something else on the projector screen or hearing voices from a sleeping woman are one thing, but actually picking up an item is something else.
Near the end we see a really interesting montage, Hitchcock-like, a fast cut of imaginations and hallucinations. I wish the film had more of that.
I'm disappointed that the film had no ending. It really had no ending, showing us a text saying "Without end" instead of giving us a conclusion. There is no way this couple could keep on going like this. The escalation from mere suspicion to battery and rape was quick, within weeks at most. This is an unsustainable relationship and an end, in one form or another, was near. It' just too bad that we didn't get one.
All in all, a good film about an interesting topic or intersection of topics.
7/10.
I say two, but here there are many small things that make this a recipe for disaster.
- The couple have, or are beginning to have, financial troubles. This adds a strain on even the healthiest marriage. - Nelly is a flirt who does things that make render even the least jealous partner jealous or suspicious. - Nelly is a liar. She lies about small things (cost of a bag, gambling), but it's enough to cause suspicion. - Paul is jealous and the thought of his wife with someone else burns him up. This is not a rare trait, but many jealous people don't have trust issues. They're jealous if they see something that bothers them, but suspicion and mistrust is its own disease. - Paul is suspicious of his wife and does not trust her at all. It does not help that Nelly flirts openly in front of him and lies to him. This fuels the problem. - Paul hallucinates and imagines things. He sees things that aren't there. - The lack of common friends or family means that the couple are in an island of their own misery. Paul has no one but customers to tell him that he's losing it. There are no parents or in- laws that could help him with his madness or, help him with the truth.
The film is intentionally ambiguous with some scenes, the boat scene with Martineau which was one of the biggest catalysts to his suspicions and the loss of her necklace, which she did indeed lose, but we are unsure if it was in the attic or not.
The fact is, audio/visual hallucinations, such as seeing something else on the projector screen or hearing voices from a sleeping woman are one thing, but actually picking up an item is something else.
Near the end we see a really interesting montage, Hitchcock-like, a fast cut of imaginations and hallucinations. I wish the film had more of that.
I'm disappointed that the film had no ending. It really had no ending, showing us a text saying "Without end" instead of giving us a conclusion. There is no way this couple could keep on going like this. The escalation from mere suspicion to battery and rape was quick, within weeks at most. This is an unsustainable relationship and an end, in one form or another, was near. It' just too bad that we didn't get one.
All in all, a good film about an interesting topic or intersection of topics.
7/10.