The Face of Love ***½ (2014, Annette Bening, Ed Harris, Robin Williams) – Movie Review

Annette Bening is happily married to her perfect partner in Ed Harris, who promptly dies. A couple of years later she meets and falls for an artist/ teacher (also played by Ed Harris), a man who bears a striking resemblance to her late husband. He’s the perfect double of her husband whom she can’t let go. As they start a deep love affair, she doesn’t tell him, and gets embroiled in a web of her secrets and lies.

Co-writer/ director Arie Posin (writing with Matthew McDuffie) turns in a thoroughly stylish and artificial old-style movie that would have graced Hollywood’s golden years era if made back in the Fifties or even earlier.

In very striking and compelling performances, Bening and Harris put flesh and blood on their scriptwriters’ fantasy characters and situation, making it all seem hauntingly real and truthful. But, sadly, it’s such a shame that Robin Williams is wasted in a weak support role as the neighbour who fancies Bening.

Posin has made one other film, The Chumscrubber (2005). He says: ‘Annette was an obvious first choice. She embodies the emotional state of that character better than anyone.’ He adds: ‘Nobody wanted to finance the movie, even with these actors at a modest budget. It had three strikes. It’s a woman in the lead role, it stars actors who are not in their twenties and on the cover of US Weekly, and it’s drama.’

© Derek Winnert 2014 Movie Review

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