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Passion of Mind | Year: 2000 Directed: - Alain Berliner Actors/Actresses: - Demi Moore - William Fichtner Intriguing Premise... Demi Moore was so ubiquitous in the '80s and '90s that it was easy to take her for granted. But the three years since G.I. Jane and Deconstructing Harry (both 1997) represent the longest amount of time she's ever been away from the big screen. The good news is that Passion of Mind represents something of a change of pace; the bad news is that it doesn't fulfill the promise of its intriguing premise or the potential of Belgian director, Alain Berliner, who made such an impression with his Golden Globe winning debut, Ma Vie En Rose (1997). Like Sliding Doors (1998), Passion of Mind is about a woman living two lives. The twist is that she's living both of them at the same time. In one, she's a single Manhattan businesswoman; in the other, a widowed mother living in the French countryside. Neither can tell which life is real and which is the dream (and both are so idyllic, it's hard to believe either could be real). And so Marty/Marie starts seeing a therapist in each life. She also meets and falls in love with a businessman in New York (William Fitchter) and a writer in France (Stellan Skarsgard). Screenwriters Ron Bass (Snow Falling on Cedars, Entrapment) and David Field have basically written a Hollywood version of a European art house drama and, just as Marty/Marie is unable to reconcile the two halves of her life -- until the end of the movie -- Passion of Mind never quite comes together either as a splashy romance (there's little chemistry between Moore and her on-screen paramours) or as a serious examination of psychological/philosophical dislocation. But Demi Moore fans should be pleased to have her back where she belongs and to see her branching out into new directions. Enjoyable Film, Good Story Idea, Demi Not Bad I don't dislike Demi Moore although I also would not describe her as a favorite actor of mine. She does a credible job in this movie though. The idea itself is very engrossing. Every time she wakes up, she is either a single career woman in New York or a widow in France with her two children. She sees psychiatrists in both places and has lovers in both. Who are all of these people is the question you will want answered by movie's end. The resolution is equally as clever. I really did not guess who the "unreal" woman was, once you figured out which of the two women really existed and was "real." If you hate Demi Moore though, you may not like this movie because she certainly is in just about every scene of it. Great Idea for a Story The possibilities for this basic story idea were endless, however I do not think that the movie took this story to its fullestest potential. The story is of a woman, played by Demi Moore, who seems to be two people living two lives, but really isn't. When she goes to sleep from her life in France (where she is a widower with two children and works as a book reviewer), she wakes up to her second life (a high-powered career woman in New York) and vice versa. She can not figure out which is her real life and which is a fantasy. The main plot of the movie is her struggle to figure out which is which. This is a great idea for a movie. The beginning sets up the plot very well and then seems to go on-and-on and does very little to expand on this great concept. Everything is tied together neatly, and with some creativity, in the end. However, the film really dragged in the middle. Demi Moore's acting was good and believable. However, the script was so reptitious that I don't think there was enough of a screenplay for her to make the movie any better then it was. Misguided presentation of an interesting psychodrama How much one enjoys this film depends greatly on how much of Demi Moore you can stand. If you like long drawn out schmaltzy romances with Demi as the romantic heroine, you will love this film times two. Otherwise, hide any weapons lest you begin attacking your screen. This film was toasted by the critics, but I didn't think it was that bad. In fact, I liked it. I guess I fall more into the first (sucker for schmaltz) category. The story was criticized as being a contrived version of "Me, Myself and I", where a woman is torn over the choice between life as a professional and the family shtick. That criticism really misses the point. This is a story about a woman's psychological attempt to deal with her traumatic past and has nothing whatever to do with lifestyle choices. I found this to be an intelligent and complex character study of a woman who seems to be two people living two lives, but really isn't. If that seems cryptic, see the film and it might become clearer. When she goes to sleep from her life with her children in France, she wakes up to her high-powered career in New York and vice versa. She can't determine which is real and which is a fantasy. She has a lover in each life and both seem very real to her. As the story unfolds, she and we try to figure out which is her real life and which is the dream. The trouble with the presentation is that its real intrigue lies with the psychodrama. Unfortunately, neophyte director Alain Berliner pushed that element to the background and cranked up the schmaltz machine, centering the story on the romances instead. That wouldn't have been so bad if they weren't so interminable. Scene after scene retraced the same romantic theme, until it became frayed. Other than the misplaced emphasis, the film was well crafted. There were subtle hints throughout about which was the real life, but they were far from obvious tip-offs. However, when we finally discover the truth, it takes forever to wrap up the loose ends. To Berliner's credit, the locations were breathtaking, in both France and New York. It is easy to find beauty in the French countryside, but these were some of the most wonderful film perspectives I have ever seen of New York's skyline and street vistas. After enjoying a few years as one of the highest paid entertainers on the planet, Demi Moore disappeared for three years. This was probably not the best vehicle for her return. Her performance was strongly emotional but one-dimensional, failing to differentiate the characters sufficiently. She played the high-powered NYC girl to be just as wimpy as the insecure girl in France. To be fair however, she created two very appealing and vulnerable romantic characters and deserved better notices than she received. William Fichtner was not the greatest choice for her NY love interest. Fichtner is better at abrasive antagonist roles and his attempts at sensitivity came across as far too pathetic. Stellan Skarsgard was much bett Buy Passion Of Mind at Amazon.com Buy posters at Allposters.com Jamster - the latest ringtones for your phone!  Search with Walhello on the Internet on Passion Of Mind Search with the Priority Search Engine on Passion Of Mind This page in other languages: Suomeksi | Nederlands | Deutsch
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