2007, USA/Canada
Crime, Drama, Film Noir, Romance
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Extended version:
Husbandly duties are taken literally when a man would rather let death do them part than break his wife's heart.
In Married Life, director Ira Sachs follows the conundrum of a husband who cares so much and so little for his wife, Pat, that he believes killing her would be kinder than the cruel alternative of divorce. Not quite a film noir, not quite a melodrama, the story — based on John Bingham's 1953 book, Five Round abouts to Heaven — has too much dark, subtle humor to fall into the usual traps. The same could be said for the characters.
Devoted wife Pat (a scintillating Patricia Clarkson) twists the formula by stating that marriage revolves around sex, and as her husband Harry (a dowdy yet wild-eyed Chris Cooper) complains about her increasing desires, he glows from a fresh new love who provides deeper companionship. Not so ironically, said love is embodied by stunning young thing Kay, a platinum Rachel McAdams who finds a comfortable niche in the capable cast.
The film is narrated from the point of view of the friend with all of the answers but none of the conscience. Richard is a sort of private eye who has no intention of solving the case unless it comes to his benefit (played with measured slickness by Pierce Brosnan). A cad who admittedly regrets the future even before he mucks it up, his words are quick to have their effect as evidenced by their trickling repetition. His personal confessions are admitted to the detriment of those around him, though as they are spoken only through voice over, his friends are none the wiser of the snake in the grass.
Sachs' love for the era is apparent, from the contemporary films that are reflected both on screen and within the scene to the fine details of the surrounding art direction. What is tenuous is the strict moral code of the period, often implied by the shell of a well-maintained house. Delusions are glimpsed through the windows, and it is not until a character views his own home from the inside out that he realizes the world may not revolve around his personal dilemmas.
There is an expectation that everyone else is a creature of habit while the observer is the sole chameleon. The humor falls to the fact that each character is a bit sneakier than their outward persona would imply, with the exception of Richard who is reliably selfish. The series of disclosures of indiscretions breaks down each character's smugness, and yet pride and false concern prevents the full admission of the truth.
The film works as a result of a great cast who never spills over the top. Their characters are intelligent without being overly confident, though their egos are shortsighted. Married Life is a perfectly captured film with enough stray suspense to maintain the thrill. The characters attempt to race towards happiness just fast enough to be able to slam on the breaks when common sense shakes them to their duties, no matter how misguided the obligations.