The Wife

The Wife has sort’ve flown under the radar. It’s the latest offering from Swedish director Bjorn Runge. I really only saw this because THE BOSS Glenn Close is getting hella buzz for her role as Joan Castleman. In the film, she’s married to Joe Castleman (Jonathan Pryce), an incredibly successful author. The film is mainly set in 1992 in Sweden where Joe will be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. It has all the trappings of a great family drama. Joe and Joan have a seemingly normal husband and wife relationship with a mixture of sweet moments and tense ones. Their son David (Max Irons) and daughter Susannah (Alix Wilton Regan) seem like well adjusted individuals. But surprise! there is something brimming underneath the surface. Runge slowly lets the facade slip away as you learn about Joe and Joan’s relationship. Flashbacks of their life in their younger years are portrayed beautifully by Harry Lloyd and Annie Stark and reveal the beginnings of their troubles. Fun fact: Annie Stark is Glenn Close’s daughter in real life! I have a feeling she is the only person who could’ve pulled off this performance so convincingly because the transitions between young Joan and older Joan are seamless. Close definitely steals the show flashing between a stoic, supportive wife to a seething, snubbed woman. There was one scene in particular at a Nobel dinner event in which a minutes long close up of Close’s face has been seared in my memory. The quiet build up of rage she displays in this one scene is terrifyingly brilliant. But then again what else can be expected of the legend who is Glenn Close?

Film or Movie: Film

You’ll like this film if:
1. You like tense, psychological films
2. You want an in-depth look at a fascinating marriage
3. You want to see Glenn Close steal the show again