Damage

Written by: David Hare Starring: Jeremy Irons, Juliette Binoche, Miranda Richardson

Oddly uninvolving tale of sexual obsession, buoyed by good performances by the three stars. Problem is, none of the characters are very sympathetic (except maybe Richardson's) and you never get any kind of a hook into their motivations. In particular, Anna (Binoche) starts out as an utter cipher, and remains exactly the same throughout (is she a victim of tragedy? An evil, manipulative bitch? Who knows?). Most damaging of all is the fact that I never bought into the mad passion between Anna and Stephen. Malle and company seem to think that just because two people lock eyes that desperate lust is bound to follow. Sorry Lou. To buy into passion you have to have some understanding of why they would be drawn to each other in the first place, and to do that you have to understand the characters, and to do that you have to know them. As it is, the energetic couplings between our leads seem more ludicrous than erotic. Oh well. Maybe the book was better. Late addendum: after further reflection I have decided that the picture sucked. (2/11/93)