Intimacy

The opening moments of “Intimacy” set the scene perfectly for this erotic drama, that is also an examination of an quite ordinary marriage: two people, in a grotty, shambolic London house, engage in urgent and silent sex, communicating nothing other than their instinct for lust and pleasure. As the narrative unfurls we discover segments of both protagonists’ lives, and possible explanations about the motivations that inspire their urges. For Claire, it is perhaps an escape from the ordinariness of her life as a wife, mother and amateur actress; for Jay, it is perhaps an emotional stopgap for the absence of his wife and son. Despite the agreed anonymity of their union, Jay starts to obsess over Claire’s life outside of their ribald encounters and stalks her, discovering her family commitments and even anonymously befriending her husband, Andy. Jay toys with Andy (Timothy Spall) spinning a tale of the married woman and mother of one, that he meets weekly for sex, encouraging Andy to ponder what drives a woman to such deeds. Within this intriguing set-up, lie concealed details about characters’ motivation, leaving the viewer with only a very superficial view of what spurs the protagonists’ conduct. Hence, despite attempts at realism via the aesthetic de-glamorisation of the characters, the narrative is simply aimless eroticism that will be remembered not for its art but for the scandal garnered due to the depiction of actual fellatio and masturbation. Based on a story by Hanif Kureishi and the first English-language film for French director Patrice Chereau. Also stars Mark Rylance (as Jay) and Marianne Faithfull.