Viewing Advisory:
Chloe has been rated R by the Motion Picture Association of America.
During the past several weeks, as she's gone about her daily routine, Dr. Catherine Stewart has occasionally found herself crossing the path of an attractive young woman named Chloe. At first, she believes the girl might be one of the young executives who works in an office near the building that houses her medical practice. But over the period of a month or so, as Catherine repeatedly notices Chloe in the company of this man or that couple, she comes to the conclusion that the young woman is quite likely a high class call girl.
Catherine is also discovering something
about her own life. After slightly more than two decades of
marriage, the woman is no longer certain about her feelings towards
her husband. While she knows that she loves the man, Catherine
has taken a look around her and come to the conclusion that she may
no longer like him.
A part of the problem is that David
tends to flirt with pretty young women. The waitress at a
restaurant. The hostess at a bar. The sales girl at a department
store. While he claims he's only being friendly, Catherine has begun
to consider the notion that he might be having an affair. Too many
odd little bits and pieces keep lining up in a pattern which points
towards that direction. On line computer chats that seem to end just
after she's walked into his office. Rather odd and possibly intimate
messages that pop up on his cell phone.
Needing to make a decision about her
own relationship, and having little concrete information to base it
on, Catherine approaches Chloe with an offer. She'll pay the girl to
initiate an encounter with David and then tell her what his response
is.
When Chloe reports back that David
noticed her but he seemed preoccupied with other matters, Catherine
grits her teeth and asks Chloe to give it one more try. The second
time around, Chloe informs Catherine that David allowed himself to
have a conversation with her the that afternoon. Except that it
didn't simply end with the two of them talking. After several
minutes of coffee and mild flirtation, David asked Chloe if he could
give her a kiss.
Very angry with David, but highly
curious about what he might be up to, Catherine urges Chloe to take
the situation to a third encounter … and then a fourth … and then
beyond. As the situation progresses, Chloe increasingly appears
troubled by what she and Catherine are doing. She explains that her
bad feelings have little to do with the fact that she's having an
affair with David. Spending time with a married man is one of the
corner stones of her profession. What feels very wrong to Chloe is
that she's collecting money from Catherine and then coming back to
her with troubling news. Isn't it supposed to be her job to make
things better?
Even though she now has a third party
confirmation of her husband's willingness to be unfaithful, Catherine
finds herself reluctant to pull apart this unusual triangle that has
gradually been evolving. In an odd sort of way, Chloe feels very
much like a trusted friend. The nature of what has developed between
these two women is quite intense and strangely erotic.
Each time Chloe recounts her most
recent encounter with David, Catherine finds herself experiencing a
vicarious form of sensual excitement. This girl has somehow become
the surrogate Catherine uses for the purpose of exploring the
stranger she's been married to for more than twenty years. Chloe
talks to Catherine and comforts the woman as she does so. The two of
them occasionally touch or embrace. Every part of what is evolving
feels both good and frightening.
“I have something I need to tell
you,” Chloe finally says, during an unexpected phone call to
Catherine's office. “But I'm not sure you'll want to hear it.”
“What?” Catherine asks.
“This afternoon, when David and I
were together, he said that when he's with you … he feels like he's
cheating on me.”
What Chloe has just told Catherine is
utterly devastating. The woman immediately finds herself wanting to
lash out at David. To mash the cheating jackass into the ground in
each and every possibly way. Now she just needs to find the right
plan for doing so.
The screenplay for “Chloe” was
written by Erin Cressida Wilson and is based on the 2003 French
motion picture “Nathalie”. What Wilson brings to the story is a
clear understanding that doing business with a prostitute is very
much like asking a fortune teller for advice. The individual in each
profession is well practiced at providing the client with the perfect
minimum degree of true information.
Just the right amount to wet an
individual's palate.
Not quite enough to satisfy their
thirst.
Always keep them wanting to make use of
your services again.
In the hands of a less sophisticated
director, an intricate story like “Chloe” could easily have
devolved into an incoherent mess. What keeps the motion picture
sharp and focused it Atom Egoyan's perfect understanding of how to
set the pace for an exciting tale and when to reveal important
details. Show something too soon and you give away an important
surprise. Hold information back for too long and the viewer loses
interest in what's happening.
“Chloe” is the true representation
of the Suspense Thriller genre. There are no gunfights … no
screaming car chases … no bombs that are threatening to explode at
any moment. Every ounce of the tension is caused by the interaction
between everyday human beings. Flawed individuals who have
overlapping needs and often operate from conflicting agendas.
Even though she's being paid for her
services, Chloe can't really be depended on to do what's best for
Catherine. All a client should ever be certain of is that someone
like Chloe will do what she believes is best for herself.
Travis Clemmons
