Director: Atom Egoyan

Starring: Amanda Seyfried, Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson

Tagline: Desire Can Be Dangerous

At first glance, Catherine (Julianne Moore), a gynecologist, and David Stewart (Liam Neeson), a college professor, and their musically talented teenage son (Max Thieriot) are the perfect family; happily married, wealthy and well-respected by their peers. But when David misses a flight home, and his surprise birthday party, Catherine’s long-simmering insecurities and suspicions come bubbling up to the surface.

She decides to test her husbands fidelity by employing the services of a high-end prostitute, Chloe (Amanda Seyfried), tasking her to pose as a student near her husbands favourite haunts, flirt with him and then report back to Catherine.

But desire is a powerful thing and this one-off job gets extended, spiralling out of Catherine’s control, and resulting in unexpected ramifications for everyone involved.

A remake of the 2003 French drama Nathalie, Chloe is a captivating, slow-burn of a sexual thriller that delves into the idea of perception versus reality. Director, Atom Egoyan delivers a relatively simple concept in a contemporary way. His frequent use of mirrors and reflection, feel as though he is holding up a metaphorical mirror to his audience; their insecurities and desires alike.

Given the subject matter, there was the possibility that the overuse of sex and/or nudity could cheapen the feel of the film, and whilst there is a rather surprising amount of nudity it is balanced very well and reinforces the performances rather than taking away from them.

Speaking of performances, it is the performances of the cast that elevates the film and prevents it from being a little one-dimensional. Neeson, who suffered a personal tragedy in the middle of filming, doesn’t command the screen as much as he does in many of his other films although fortunately the film is the better because of this. The character of David is more of a pawn in the chess game being played between the two leading ladies.

As expected, Julianne Moore is great, subtly portraying a myriad of emotions that shift from insecurity and invisibility to intrigue and temptation. However the real shining light is Amanda Seyfried as the titular character. Given her sweet and innocent performances in the likes of Mamma Mia, Les Miserable and Mean Girls you would be forgiven for thinking that Seyfried wouldn’t be able to pull off this type of role but it’s her doe-eyed innocence that adds that extra element to her performance.

So if you’ve not seen Chloe yet, you need to check it out. Who knows, you might be pleasantly surprised. If you have, check out some of my other ‘hidden gems‘.

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