IMDb RATING
6.9/10
1.7K
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An affair between a literary agent and his best friend's wife. The story unfolds in reverse-chronological order.An affair between a literary agent and his best friend's wife. The story unfolds in reverse-chronological order.An affair between a literary agent and his best friend's wife. The story unfolds in reverse-chronological order.
- Nominated for 1 Oscar
- 3 wins & 2 nominations total
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Did you know
- TriviaThe movie and source stage play inspired an episode of Seinfeld (1989), which was broadcast on November 20, 1997 and titled "The Betrayal".
- ConnectionsFeatured in Siskel & Ebert: Buried Treasures - 1991 Edition (1991)
Featured review
Thinking Back
Deciding to confront the husband of his longtime mistress after she reveals that she has let on about their affair, a British book publisher is surprised to learn that the husband has known of the extramarital affair for years in this quiet yet intense drama from the pen of Harold Pinter. The film intriguingly unfolds in reverse chronological order, beginning with the aforementioned confrontation and then flashing back further and further in the past to examine how the affair managed to develop to its current point. Some have criticised this narrative style as a gimmick, but on the contrary, it fits in incredibly well with the publisher's shock over the husband (also a longtime friend) knowing about the affair; it almost feels as if he is searching his memory for hints of the husband being clued into the affair that he may have missed at the time. Whatever the case, Jeremy Irons (as the man having the affair) and Ben Kingsley (as the knowledgeable husband) deliver pitch perfect performances throughout with Kinglsey subtly radiating animosity in the flashback scenes - particularly a restaurant luncheon - something all the more pronounced due to Irons being so ignorant of it and so conceited to believe that nobody knows of the affair. Patricia Hodge is less effective as the woman in the love triangle, never all that alluring; Dominic Muldowney's music is sometimes overbearing too. Generally speaking though, this is a handsome production as well as a testament to how much a film can achieve with minimal sets, lots of dialogue and an ending revealed at the beginning.
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- Feb 8, 2017
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