Carissa AbidinCritics of Natalie Portman might say that Love and Other Impossible Pursuits is art imitating life, as it almost mirrors her breaking up the relationship of Black Swan choreographer Benjamin Millepied with his ballerina girlfriend. Portman is having his baby and recently announced that they are engaged.
But even her critics will have to admit that the 2011 Best Actress Academy Award winner for Black Swan delivers another stunning performance as a bitter home-wrecker who struggles with the loss of her newborn daughter and her less-than-perfect family in Love and Other Impossible Pursuits. Based on Ayelet Waldman’s novel of the same name, the film talks about loss and conflict.
Writer-director Don Roos, (Marley and Me), uses flashbacks to tell the story, forcing viewers to ask questions throughout the film before attempting to make sense of it all.
The first flashback explains how Emilia (Portman), a young, vibrant single woman, becomes a second wife, a mother and a stepmother. It shows the courtship of Emilia and a married-but-dissatisfied Jack (Scott Cohen) in a Manhattan law firm where they work together. Jack then leaves his wife to be with her. The initial scenes paint a simple picture, giving viewers no warning of the emotional turmoil that lies ahead.
Back to the present, Emilia carries a ton of emotional baggage as the death of her 3-day-old daughter creates a void between her and Jack. While grieving over his daughter’s death, Jack has his own demons to fight, specifically, his caustic ex-wife Carolyne (Lisa Kudrow). Carolyne’s obsessive protection over her 8-year-old son, William (Charlie Tahan) creates more stress on Emilia and Jack’s relationship. William picks up on Carolyne’s condescending attitude and creates hell for Emilia, using her dead daughter as an instrument to torment her.
What helps us identify with the characters is that Roos shows us he’s built a complex profile for each of them. He shows snippets of Jack grieving in private while holding his daughter’s sock, and another scene with Jack crying out loud. Giving one scene to a grown man crying, Roos is not shy with his emotions. Cohen’s grieving scenes are so real; they are painful to watch, yet too touching to turn away from.
He also goes back to Emilia’s parents’ marriage to explain her bitterness and unwillingness to forgive her father, Sheldon (Michael Cristofer).
Roos uses the former FRIENDSactress to create a warm, familiar feeling with the audience. Carolyne’s sarcastic behaviour returns to the comedic roots of Phoebe Buffay, the ditzy comedienne who sang about smelly cats. However, Kudrow is a lot more intense in this film as compared to her role in FRIENDS, proving that comedy isn’t the only thing she’s good at. You would fear Kudrow in this film. She’s like the discipline mistress that everyone in school runs away from, making you feel like a small fry before her.
Tahan, who was cast in several blockbuster hits such as I Am Legend and Nights in Rodanthe, is definitely a big star in the making. If he plays his cards right, he just might be the next Haley Joel Osment. Tahan shows emotional depth and maturity in his acting.
In the film, when Emilia and him don’t get along, he is condescending and cold. Like an adult intentionally hurting another, he remains nonchalant in his actions while being extremely brutal with his words. He suggests selling the dead baby’s items on eBay and even refers to the baby as non-existent.
However, in another scene when Emilia offers to get him ice cream, he lights up like a little child again. “Chocolate!” he tells the waitress with a big smile.
If you’re a fan of fairy tales and sappy love stories, this film isn’t for you. This film doesn’t promise a cheery, love-y feel, but it does promise realism, pain and other facts about love.
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Movie: Love and Other Impossible Pursuits
Rating: 3.5/5
Opens: 14 April
Language: English
M18 (Sexual Scenes)
Genre: Drama
Directed by: Don Roos
Starring: Natalie Portman, Scott Cohen, Lisa Kudrow