The Wife

I wanted to see this film from the moment I read the review; I was not disappointed and enjoyed every minute. but then seeing it again, once you appreciate the full extent of the story allows you to appreciate it even more, especially the subtle brilliance of Glenn Close's performance.

Here are my notes:

The Wife

USA 2017        99 minutes

Director:          Björn Runge

Starring:            Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce, Max Irons and Christian Slater

Awards and Nominations:

• Oscar Nomination for Best Actress (Glenn Close)
• Won Golden Globe for Best Actress (Glenn Close)
• BAFTA nomination for Best Actress (Glenn Close)
• A further 11 wins and 16 nominations

““There’s nothing more dangerous than a writer whose feelings have been hurt.” The speaker is Joan Castleman, the charming, enigmatically discreet and supportive wife of world-famous author and New York literary lion Joe Castleman. It is a fascinating and bravura performance from Glenn Close, in this hugely enjoyable dark comedy from director Björn Runge, adapted by Jane Anderson from the novel by Meg Wolitzer. Perhaps it’s Close’s career-best – unnervingly subtle, unreadably calm, simmering with self-control. Her Joan is a study in marital pain, deceit and the sexual politics of prestige. It’s a portrayal to put alongside Close’s appearances in Dangerous Liaisons and Fatal Attraction. This is an unmissable movie for Glenn Close fans. Actually, you can’t watch it without becoming a fan – if you weren’t one already.”

Peter Bradshaw

Joan Castleman has spent her adult life sacrificing her own talent and literary ambition to support her husband Joe. She has ignored his numerous infidelities and excuses since they first met when she was his student and she has endured his bad behaviour for years, but when they learn that Joe has been awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature Jean has to confront the biggest sacrifice of her life.

The film is based on the 2003 novel by Meg Rosoff which tells the story as a first person narrative from Joan’s perspective. The screenplay by playwright, screenwriter and director Jane Anderson tells the story in a similar nonlinear fashion, interspersing scenes of the Castlemans’ journey to the award ceremony in Stockholm (including their attempts to avoid a writer who is keen to write a biography of Joe), with flashback scenes depicting their early life together and the beginnings of Joe’s literary success. In the flashback scenes Joan is played by Annie, Stark, Glenn Close’s real life daughter, and Joe is played by Harry Lloyd.

The Wife was screened at film festivals in 2017 but it was reported that it had been held back from general release until 2018 in order to give Glenn Close a better chance to win an Oscar nomination (which she subsequently did; she also has a BAFTA nomination and recently won the Best Actress Award at the Golden Globes). The critics were unanimous in their praise for Glenn Close’s performance, but many also gave credit to Jonathan Pryce for his supporting role. Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian included both Close and Pryce in his shortlist of the best performances of 2018.

Director Björn Runge is himself Swedish and in his native country he has worked as a director, screen writer, playwright and author; his films have won many awards in Sweden as well as receiving international acclaim, with Daybreak (2003) winning the Silver Bear and the award for Best European Film at the Berlin Film Festival. Despite the US and Swedish locations of the film much of it was shot in Glasgow and Dumfries in Scotland.

Here's the trailer: