The opening scene of “Enduing Love” is so great, so disturbing, it gives a jolt the rest of the picture can’t possibly sustain. But what a start.
A couple is sitting in a field in the English countryside, consuming wine and cheese and sunshine. Joe (Daniel Craig) is preparing to propose marriage to Claire (Samantha Morton).
At that moment, a large shadow glides into the background, and then, like something out of a dream, a large red hot-air balloon. It hits the ground, and a man jumps out of the basket, but a boy remains inside as the balloon suddenly begins to lift off again.
The man grabs one of the ropes dangling from the basket, and so does Joe, having leapt to his feet to help. A couple of men appear out of nowhere, also grabbing hold, trying to weigh the balloon down – but it begins climbing. One by one, the men let go, but one fellow, a stranger, holds on until he is just high enough to fall to his death. (The boy lands safely a few miles away.)
The shocking image of the man falling to earth burns itself into the rest of “Enduring Love,” and makes the movie troubling even when it doesn’t make very much sense. Based on a novel by Ian McEwan and directed by Roger Michell (“Notting Hill”), this movie is frustrating in being both too obscure and too literal.
Joe, a university professor who lectures on morality and love, is tortured by his failure to hold on, and tormented by the fact that the dead man sacrificed himself. Who was he? What would drive someone to risk himself for a stranger? Was Joe the first person to let go, thus causing a chain reaction?
These are interesting questions, but the film deals a wild card. One of the other men at the incident, a straggly, wild-eyed chap named Jed (Rhys Ifans), insists on buddying up to Joe. At first, this seems like a traumatic reaction to the horrible thing they witnessed. Then it gets strange, as Jed simply won’t go away.
Daniel Craig, who played Ted Hughes in “Sylvia,” and Rhys Ifans make an odd couple. (Curiously, Ifans played in another movie about a man carried off by hot-air balloons, “Danny Deckchair.”) At first, I was uncertain that Jed was a real person – perhaps he’s supposed to be a manifestation of Joe’s guilt.
But no, he’s real, and his persistent questions lead the script into some overly explicit debates about belief and skepticism. In a way, “Enduring Love” becomes as pretentious as an M. Night Shyamalan movie about faith.
Still, that opening scene – wow. If you’re willing to settle for a minimum of drama and a lot of talk, “Enduing Love” offers an interesting cup of tea.
Daniel Craig and Samantha Morton in “Enduring Love.”
“Enduring Love” HH
Interesting: A shocking accident involving a hot-air balloon (depicted in the startling opening scene) leads a guilt-ridden professor (Daniel Craig) into a bizarre relationship with a stranger (Rhys Ifans). Not much drama, and too explicit about its ideas, but interesting.
Rated: R rating is for language, subject matter.
Now showing: Harvard Exit.
“Enduring Love” HH
Interesting: A shocking accident involving a hot-air balloon (depicted in the startling opening scene) leads a guilt-ridden professor (Daniel Craig) into a bizarre relationship with a stranger (Rhys Ifans). Not much drama, and too explicit about its ideas, but interesting.
Rated: R rating is for language, subject matter.
Now showing: Harvard Exit.
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