Close My Eyes (1991)

Director:

Stephen Poliakoff

Writer:

Stephen Poliakoff (writer)

Release Date:

6 September 1991 (UK)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Plot:

After some years of tension, Richard begins a sexual relationship with his sister Natalie. Now married...

Plot Keywords:

Marriage | Eating | 1980s | Circular Staircase | Watching TV

Awards:

4 wins

Cast

  (Cast overview, first billed only)

Alan Rickman	...	Sinclair
Clive Owen	...	Richard
Saskia Reeves	...	Natalie
Karl Johnson	...	Colin
Lesley Sharp	...	Jessica
Kate Gartside	...	Paula
Karen Knight	...	Philippa
Niall Buggy	...	Geof
Campbell Morrison	...	Scotsman
Annie Hayes	...	Receptionist
Maxwell Hutcheon	...	Interviewee
Geraldine Somerville	...	Natalie's Boss
Helen FitzGerald	...	Scottish Girl
Christopher Barr	...	Noley
Gordon Salkilld	...	Hotel Porter

Runtime:

Canada:108 min | Spain:108 min | USA:107 min

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color (Metrocolor)

Sound Mix:

Dolby

Certification:

Australia:R | Finland:K-16 | Spain:18 | UK:18 | USA:R

Filming Locations:

Isle of Dogs, London, England, UK

Company:

Film Four International

Goofs:

Continuity: When Natalie and Richard are fighting on the country lane, there is a rip in the right shoulder of her jacket. When they get back to the party, the rip has gone.

Quotes:

[first lines]
Natalie: You're late.
Richard: Sorry, it was unavoidable, trains on Sunday, you know what they're like.
Natalie: Unavoidable? I don't believe it. I've eaten all the food.
Richard: You've eaten all the food? Now that's serious.

Movie Connections:

References Rosemary's Baby (1968)

A passionate story

This is the kind of film that British film-makers do very well. An ambitious brother and sister have grown up distant from each other. The tension they feel when they meet comes to a head when Natalie initiates Richard into an incestuous affair. She maintains control throughout and he is tortured. The whole story is set against a background of urban London and sumptuous Richmond middle-class wealth. It is very well acted and has an interesting sub plot of Richard's boss who is dying of AIDS.

It deals with the difficulty of finding permanant relationships in the late 1980s/early 1990s, but it makes the point with subtlety. It looks mainstream, but falls into the art cinema category, probably because it was intended for television broadcasting. It deals with a very controversial subject with taste, but it is explicit enough for you to feel the attraction between Natalie and Richard with conviction. The lead characters in it are attractive too with great support from Alan Rickman as Natalie's dominating husband. It is as English as anything by Merchant/Ivory, but has much more edge.