Buried Resentment Troubles a Literary Family

Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce in "The Wife"
Photo Credit: Imdb.com

When reading a piece of fiction, you can’t help but wonder what helped the author construct the story that has you riveted from page to page.  You’re left wondering if the story came from the author’s experiences, if it just came to the author unexpected, or if it’s from a different source that you wouldn’t expect.

This is something that’s explored in Björn Runge’s film, “The Wife.”  Although it has a couple of faults in the narrative, it’s nevertheless anchored by two powerhouse performances that make the film worth a watch.

In 1992, Joan Castleman (Glenn Close) and her husband, Joe (Jonathan Pryce), an acclaimed author, are living a peaceful life in Connecticut.  One morning, Joe receives a call that informs him that he’s the next recipient of the Nobel Prize in Literature.  As they visit Stockholm, Sweden, to attend the ceremony, a festering, decades-old anger within Joan emerges that threatens their marriage.

Close’s performance is one that excels in the small details.  This is seen right away in the beginning of the film when Joe’s on the phone with the Nobel Prize committee, with Joan listening in on another phone, and we see a conflict play out on Joan’s face that seems to go between elation and displeasure in the most subtle of ways.  Of course, Close is given the chance to let loose dramatically, and to great effect, in the big confrontation near the end of the film.  But, before all of that, Close gives audiences the chance to try to decipher what she’s feeling as she exhibits mannerisms and facial expressions that could have a couple of meanings.  This is a performance that could have fallen into melodrama, but Close is able to keep it restrained and not give away all of her character’s emotions at once.

Pryce is wonderful as an individual who can’t decide whether to celebrate his success or give in to the truth of his wife’s secret, of which he’s aware.  We see the increase of the strain that builds on him as the film progresses, which leads him to an ethical dilemma that adds to the mystery of where the film is heading, and Pryce does well in displaying Joe’s internal conflict.

Max Irons appears as Joan and Joe’s son, David, an aspiring writer, and while he does what he can with his character, his role is written in a way that has him come off like a childish adult who seems to just want to be told that he’s a good writer, even if that might not be the case.  His character’s arc doesn’t go anywhere, making David a source of drama that isn’t needed because what we have going on between Joan and Joe is compelling enough.  Because of all of this, David can be cut out of the movie and it wouldn’t impact the plot at all.

The screenplay by Jane Anderson, which is based on Meg Wolitzer’s 2003 novel of the same name, offers a look at Joan and Joe’s current marriage, while also exploring the early years of their relationship.  For a short time, the flashbacks seem like they’ll add to the story.  However, as the film goes on, the flashbacks tend to lessen the dramatic tension because they interrupt what’s going on between Joan and Joe in 1992 in order to emphasize things that we know or aren’t important to know.  Close and Pryce are tremendous actors, and the drama that they present is more than enough to keep you invested in the movie without adding a storyline that involves their past.

As a director, even though Runge might not do much that’s memorable in terms of providing a specific visual style, he’s at least able to capture the simmering discontentedness between the two lead characters.  While we see bits of hostility here and there, with Runge exhibiting the strain within Joan and Joe’s marriage, it’s in the final 15 minutes when he shows the unease between them as it reaches its peak and lays bare the unuttered sentiments that have been piling on their minds for decades.

Despite there being a few areas where “The Wife” could have been stronger, it’s still able to fascinate from time to time with its view of how the main characters’ lives shaped their art, and how their art shaped their lives.

Grade: B