The End of the Affair

Movie Name: The End of the Affair

Year of Release: 1999

Director: Neil Jordan

Stars: Ralph Fiennes, Julianne Moore, Stephen Rea, Jason Isaacs, Ian Hart, Deborah Findlay, Simon Fisher-Turner, Penny Morrell

Genre: Drama

Score out of ten (whole numbers only): 7
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Synopsis & Review:

Director Neil Jordan had a stupendous decade in the 90s. Following his Oscar winning "The Crying Game", he followed that film with "Interview with the Vampire", "Michael Collins" and "The Butcher Boy", all equally well received. "The End of the Affair" placed him again in the Oscar race, and the film earned a few Oscar nominations, namely Julianne Moore's as best actress. The film is the adaptation of a novel by Graham Greene and follows the story of Maurice Bendrix, a novelist, as he recalls an affair he had with the beautiful Sarah Miles. That affair ended abruptly much to his surprise, and on a chance encounter, Maurice encounters Sarah's husband, which re-ignites his interest in Sarah and finding out what happened to their relationship. As he probes deeper to the dissolution of the affair, he comes to find out the real meaning of Sarah's love and sacrifice.
Neil Jordan's career has been punctuated by some terrific features that anchor themselves in the capability that he has of subverting genres and mixing them to unique effect (as was the case of his most celebrated features "The Company of Wolves", "Mona Lisa", "The Crying Game" and "Breakfast on Pluto"). "The End of the Affair" is one of his most powerful features, since it vividly brings to life the erotic affair of a couple, who is abruptly finished by the circumstances of war and ultimately of faith. The film is based on the novel by Graham Green, who in turn wrote it based on events of his own life. It's a film that successfully showcases the fervor of the connection between the main couple, but also of how faith can really have a tremendous impact in people's lives. Both Ralph Fiennes and Julianne Moore are fantastic in the central roles, while the cinematography from Roger Pratt and score from acclaimed composer Michael Nyman are unforgettable. A very good film always worth revisiting.