Take This Waltz
This thought provoking gem about relationships by Canadian director Sarah Polley is one of the best films I saw last year
The setting is a suburb of Toronto but writter/director Sarah Polley has intentionally and curiously created a fantasy land. The idyllic brightly colored houses would be ridiculously unaffordable for the occupants of the movie. Inside they are even more magical, a type of artists dream house because in one form or another each of the major players is an artist. It is a physical manifestation of the movies dichotomy that against this idyllic fantasy setting the characters will participate in a raw drama about the most essential human question, being in love and what we do with it. The players are Margot (Michelle Williams) her husband Lou (Seth Rogan) and Daniel (Luke Kirby) the man who catches Margot’s eye one day and complicates her life. This could easily just been another will she won’t she rom com or a sultry movie about an affair but this script has deeper questions to ask. It starts out in a fairly conventional way when Margot meets a handsome stranger well away from home for work. There is a connection. They almost flirt but not really still there are sparks. They share a flight, then a cab from the airport. She gets dropped of first and as she does she confesses she is married. He comments how unfortunate that is and proceeds to get out too. He has just moved in across the street. The movie goes exactly where you think it is going to for awhile but not in expected ways and with clever interesting scenes. Then it twists and what you think you understood takes on a new light. Then it twists again and again and each time you see things in a new light. Finally it twists again and…. I won’t ruin the surprise. Don’t misunderstand this to be a mystery or a thriller. The twists are dramatic plot devices and you may find there are more or less twists for you. It is the kind of movie that depends a lot on the viewers own experiences and perspectives to determine how it plays out and how you respond to it. Any movie that requires viewers to think needs to have strong performances as well as a good script. Kirby is terrific as Daniel who never pushes but is always near, the desire clear in his eyes. Is he a predator or a gentleman? You have to decide for yourself. Lou is played by Seth Rogan. It took me a few scenes to get over this fact. Rogan is a good actor but I’m so used to seeing him in raunchy comedies it threw me for a loop. Lou is the kindest, gentlest, sweetest guy in the world. If only he were observant. There are scenes between Margot and Lou that will break your heart they are so real. Some are positive: the bad baby scene. Some are negative: the courage scene. I am not sure if infidelity can be given permission but if it can this later scene does. Other lovely scenes include the amusement park ride, the brilliant montage near the end. Also the underwater seduction ballet. It is one of two pool scenes that prove this whole movie exists in a odd fantasy/dream. What is real is the people and the pain. Margot is the primary player in this drama and Williams plays her with astonishing depth. I actually didn’t like Margot as a person very much and it had nothing to do with her actions. She uses a baby voice which I found obnoxious, she and her husband have a little jokey routine they do throughout I didn’t enjoy. Despite that Williams was so raw so often it was riveting to watch. I did not have to want to be Margot’s friend to empathize with her every step of the way. That Williams elected so much empathy from me for a character I didn’t really like who was in a situation it was tempting to just judge and dismiss her for speaks volumes. Much credit is due Polley who conceived the idea and put the whole thing together. I think this odd little movie may be a masterpiece. Which is not to say it is without flaws. The secondary characters are underdeveloped. The plot has some holes. There are other little details. I’m not actually giving it a top rating. What makes me think it might be a masterpiece is not it’s perfection but the fact that I keep thinking about it. My internal struggle about whether it is or if it lands just short highlights what I love about this film. I can’t quite figure out how I feel about it or the characters in it. Everything about this movie defies easy definition. It is not inarguably great like The Godfather, it’s greatness invites debate, but that’s what is so great about it.
Thoughts? Feel free to weigh in.
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Where to Watch?
Lots of places to see this one. Streaming on Netflix, Sundance Now, AMC+, and STARZ. Plus you can buy or rent on Amazon Prime and Apple TV.
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