The Affair (2004)
Ah, the mysteries of womanhood.
It certainly makes me glad I'm a gay man. Like the
husband in "The Affair," a silly and passionless film
by Carl Colpaert, I have no idea what the female protagonist
in this film wants. Of course, neither does she, and
that's supposed to sort of be the point. But if there
is one thing this film is not, it is pointed.
Kelsey Oldershaw plays Jean, a woman
in her late twenties who is bored in her marriage
to money-grubbing Paul (Horatio Ledon, who looks like
Luke Wilson's stand-in). Seeking a man who is the
very opposite of her husband, Jean hooks up with Viggo
(a grubby Andy Mackenzie) and finds herself experiencing
a mid-life crisis. Of course, for scripters Colpaert
and Lisa Larrivee, a feminine mid-life crisis means
mainly lots of nudity and sex, so Oldershaw and Mackenzie
get to spend a lot of screen time nearly naked.
It's pretty obvious that her willingness
to do nudity is what earns Oldershaw the role. It
certainly isn't her acting skills which are, from
what can be gleaned here, non- existent. For what
it's worth, the other folks in the film do adequate
jobs but you still get the feeling this a ultra-low
budget amateur film.
In a way, Oldershaw's inability
to emote is a shame too because often times the film
borders on becoming interesting and unique. It is
rare that we find a film told from an older (okay,
she's in her late 20's but still) woman's point of
view that suggests she may be interested in casual
sex and seeking to find happiness and enlightenment.
This could be a very arty and stylish drama about
just such a woman. At times it even seems like it
might evolve into that type of interesting film. But
neither the script nor the acting can quite get it
to that plateau. Oldershaw is often as stiff as a
1950's ironing board. And the script negates any momentum
or interest it builds almost as quickly as is possible
by shuffling into a ridiculous or downright stupid
plot point. Or, worse yet, attempting a rambling,
incoherent bit of dialogue that Oldershaw cannot comprehend
any better than the audience can.
Another annoying this about the
film is the music by Erik Godal and Mark Fontana which
at first seems hip and cool but ultimately becomes
an irritant. Using a lounge inspired song which recalls
the theme from "A Man and a Woman" (as if it were
performed by the French band Air), the film initially
has a sort of arty and breezy approach to accenting
the stylish visuals. But the same riff of that song
is repeated ad nauseam during the film and it gets
old very quickly. In fact it often seems like there
are only two pieces of score available to act as a
thoughtful transitory motif throughout the film and
we get sick to death of there repetition here.
"The Affair" could have been an
edgy, unique and interesting drama about a modern
women searching for herself in the vapidity that is
wealth and glamour in the chic part of L.A. Instead
it's just a silly excursion into bad acting, sparse
arty sets, and boring and pointless dialogue. And
ultimately, the woman at the center of the plot, as
brought forth by Oldershaw, turns out to be what seems
to be truly vapid here.
Notes:
At one time the film was to be called
"Topanga." Although that title is based on the area
in L.A. in which the film takes place, one assumes
that the confusion with the character on TV's "Boy
Meets World" led to a decision to a change from that
title.
Viewed on a VHS screener provided
by the distributor.
