When a prominent politician embarks on an obsessive love affair with his son's fiancée, one could easily disregard this to the trashy Romance novel from where it came. But Damage is so much more than this, because it meticulously explores this subversive action with honesty and empathy.
Jeremy Irons (Stephen Fleming) has everything a man could want, a great career, money, nice wife, beautiful house and numerous connections with influential people. He's a public figure who seems to have it all. But when he meets Anna (Juliette Binoche), he is awe struck. Anna is a raven-haired beauty with porcelain skin, sharp features and a quiet seductive quality that differs from the usual Hollywood hussy stereotype. The attraction he has for this woman is instantaneous and takes a fierce stronghold onto his pompous, dignified and stuffy nature. A man who is incapable of expressing his feelings due to upbringing, his station in life or whatever, suddenly spirals into this pitiful and lovesick man who can't resist the mysterious and stoic nature of Anna. As they embark on a sexual affair we see that his proper personality is put to the test. As Stephen makes numerous efforts to have sex on the sly with her we witness this prominent man becoming an emotional wreck. Looking gaunt and worried, Stephen finds it hard to sustain his life while maintaining this fling.
Although Anna is complicit in this immoral act, she at least addresses the danger and unethical nature of it. Martin Fleming, her fiancée, loves her and she knows it. She knows how this would affect him if he discovered their fling. But Stephen is willing to forego his son's well-being. The obsession Stephen has for Anna is that intense. How could a father do this to his son ? "we ask ourselves". And this is what this dark and moody tale is about. It's about how a seemingly upstanding citizen and father can lose complete control of his sensibilities in pursuit of his prurient desires. The only way to fill the void in his life is to pursue the beautiful Anna. Is he dissatisfied with his wife? He is now that Anna came into the picture. Juliette Binoche is deceptively effective in this role. She is coy, confident, and doesn't resort to behaving in a loose or sassy manner. She's able to convey so much without even showing any expression. We discover, in two dinner settings, that Anna has a tragic past that involved her brother's suicide. The parallel between Stephen's and Martin's attraction toward Anna is alarmingly similar. We know this is a doomed relationship for all involved, but who will come out unscathed and who will be destroyed is the question. Why Damage is so enthralling as a drama is the complexity of the situation. The psychological impact this has for Stephen is almost unbearable to watch, but we are still fascinated. A woman's intense power, whether it's her beauty, demeanor, collectedness or charisma can have an unyielding stronghold on any man regardless of his position in life. Stephen's weakness was his inability to rationalize and stop what was happening to him and the effect this would have on his world. Even after he ends the affair with Anna by phone in a feeble attempt to stop it all, he soon falls for her again completely smitten and owned.
Although Anna is complicit in this immoral act, she at least addresses the danger and unethical nature of it. Martin Fleming, her fiancée, loves her and she knows it. She knows how this would affect him if he discovered their fling. But Stephen is willing to forego his son's well-being. The obsession Stephen has for Anna is that intense. How could a father do this to his son ? "we ask ourselves". And this is what this dark and moody tale is about. It's about how a seemingly upstanding citizen and father can lose complete control of his sensibilities in pursuit of his prurient desires. The only way to fill the void in his life is to pursue the beautiful Anna. Is he dissatisfied with his wife? He is now that Anna came into the picture. Juliette Binoche is deceptively effective in this role. She is coy, confident, and doesn't resort to behaving in a loose or sassy manner. She's able to convey so much without even showing any expression. We discover, in two dinner settings, that Anna has a tragic past that involved her brother's suicide. The parallel between Stephen's and Martin's attraction toward Anna is alarmingly similar. We know this is a doomed relationship for all involved, but who will come out unscathed and who will be destroyed is the question. Why Damage is so enthralling as a drama is the complexity of the situation. The psychological impact this has for Stephen is almost unbearable to watch, but we are still fascinated. A woman's intense power, whether it's her beauty, demeanor, collectedness or charisma can have an unyielding stronghold on any man regardless of his position in life. Stephen's weakness was his inability to rationalize and stop what was happening to him and the effect this would have on his world. Even after he ends the affair with Anna by phone in a feeble attempt to stop it all, he soon falls for her again completely smitten and owned.