We Don’t Live Here Anymore
In this film from director John Curran — based on the short stories of Andre Dubus — two couples in small-town USA attempt to destroy themselves and each other through infidelity and emotional abuse. In this way it is similar to the recent Closer, and while the stars here are not as high profile as Roberts & Co, they nevertheless give very powerful performances.
The couples, Jack and Terri (Mark Ruffalo and Laura Dern) and Hank and Edith (Peter Krause and Naomi Watts), are good friends, the two men work together at the university, and Jack and Edith are having an affair. While it’s all smiles when the four of them are together, once the couples part their very different relationships emerge. While Jack and Terri communicate almost solely in ‘blazing row’, Hank and Edith exist calmly, distantly; eventually, the passionate fury of the first couple seems almost preferable. Dern is particularly striking as the very angry, often drunk, cheated wife, who goes on all night cleaning binges when she’s particularly upset.
Much of the action is inside, at night, or under the canopy of a beautiful local forest, so that the film is quite dark in both feel and subject. This, along with the acting, helps to sustain significant tension throughout the film, resulting in some rather unnerving moments in an overall strong story. Like other films that deal with these sorts of issues well, We Don’t Live Here Anymore feels much like watching a car crash in slow motion, and it refuses to soften any of the blows it decides to deal. It’s thus not exactly enjoyable, but instead a very strong insight into the perils of human relations.
Emily Cock
