Julianne Moore's character Gracie, who at 36 years of age "had an affair" with a 13 year old, is a narcissistic piece of work. I won't elaborate on this because the beauty of this movie is in the details. I'll just say Julianne is a true professional, and she perfectly inhabits this role.
Charles Melton's performance as Joe encapsulates the damage perpetrated by narcissists. It's great the script gives him an arc, however the spiritual defeat manifested in his physical posture alone carries the biggest punch of the movie, in my opinion. Without saying a word he ably conveys everything you need to know about the longterm effects of childhood sexual abuse.
Natalie Portman's character seems pretty narcissistic too. She gets a little inappropriate talking to a high school drama class about the filming of sex scenes. Like Gracie she takes for granted that her privilege gives her a pass, allowing her to completely overlook any discomfort she creates. I don't know much about actors and their research methods, but this movie suggests it's a fairly superficial endeavour (at one point Gracie outright states that it's a pointless endevour). Her trist with Joe exemplifies the fact she has no deep understanding of the complexity of the situation, or if she does she doesn't give a crap.
There is no "movie of the week" pseudodrama here. Just a serious analysis of the dynamics of fairly common emotional dysfunctions. You need to have at least a passing interest in psychology to appreciate this movie.
Charles Melton's performance as Joe encapsulates the damage perpetrated by narcissists. It's great the script gives him an arc, however the spiritual defeat manifested in his physical posture alone carries the biggest punch of the movie, in my opinion. Without saying a word he ably conveys everything you need to know about the longterm effects of childhood sexual abuse.
Natalie Portman's character seems pretty narcissistic too. She gets a little inappropriate talking to a high school drama class about the filming of sex scenes. Like Gracie she takes for granted that her privilege gives her a pass, allowing her to completely overlook any discomfort she creates. I don't know much about actors and their research methods, but this movie suggests it's a fairly superficial endeavour (at one point Gracie outright states that it's a pointless endevour). Her trist with Joe exemplifies the fact she has no deep understanding of the complexity of the situation, or if she does she doesn't give a crap.
There is no "movie of the week" pseudodrama here. Just a serious analysis of the dynamics of fairly common emotional dysfunctions. You need to have at least a passing interest in psychology to appreciate this movie.