Last Night is a joint Miramax and Gaumont production centred around an element crucial to all relationships- monogamy. Writer/Director Massy Tadjedin toys with themes of jealousy, lust, temptation and infidelity in a way that absorbs you into the relationship of Joanna and Michael played by Keira Knightly and Sam Worthington.
Three years into married life, they appear to have reached the well reported difficult stage where despite being happy, the true meaning of lifelong commitment dawns and doubtful questions of marrying too early begin to surface. This enticing combination of curiosity and desire acts as the fuse waiting to be lit on the inevitable relationship bomb.
The spark is provided when Joanna becomes jealous after witnessing an obvious attraction between Michael and his colleague Laura, played by the beautiful Eva Mendes. Accusations fly and this is indubitably heightened by the fact that Laura will be accompanying him on the classic business trip away the following day. The next evening, with Michael away, Joanna unexpectedly bumps into Alex (Guillaume Canet), an old flame kindled during the married couples fleeting break.
The film continues in a back and forth motion between the lust for something new and the longing for a past romance. With each couple slowly inching their way over that invisible line of trust, there is a build up of suspense which leaves us continuously guessing; Will they or won’t they fall into the hands of betrayal? It is a little slow paced but this momentum allows us to better understand the characters and moreover to feel the emotions being displayed.
It targets more of an adult audience who will relate to that feeling of attraction which, if acted on, will essentially cause more harm than good. It plays on the fact that we are only human and allows you to choose a character and become them for the duration of the movie.
The ending was rather abrupt which can be somewhat disappointing if you are expecting a fiery rounded conclusion. Nevertheless, it was also rather powerful and completely different to where I presumed the story would reside in this genre of film.
Out To Own On DVD & BLURAY October 17th 2011. Click here to order your copy.
[Rating:3.5/5]
