Deja View

Ten minutes into the movie Closer I realized I'd seen it before. Years ago I saw Patrick Marber's play at Theatre Junction in Calgary, and I completely forgot. This isn't normal for me, I don't go to the theatre half as much as I'd like to, so I thought remembered nearly every show I've ever seen. During the opening moments of the movie I thought it was oddly familiar, but the scene that made me say "I've seen this before," was when Dan and Larry are unknowingly having cyber-sex. When I saw it in the theatre I remember thinking, this is twisted and funny. I had the exact same thought while watching the movie.
This was one of the few occations where I had a very similar reaction to a movie as I did to the play. As soon as I remembered seeing the play I started to remember what I thought of it. I remember thinking that the play was interesting, and I liked how the play wasn't about sex or relationships, but more about how sex affects a relationship. I also remember that the only character with any redeeming qualities was Alyce, the stripper. She was the only character I was interested in. At the end of the movie I thought the same thing. Anna and Dan were boring and mellodramatic and Larry was a pervert, but Alyce was fragile and had very human.
Normally if I see an adaptation of a book or play that has been turned into a movie I find the movie lacking something. This experience was slightly different, I actually thought the movie did the play justice. The most unsettling thing about the movie is that it was a lot harder to follow than the play. On stage when the simple sets were moved around it wasn't difficult to tell that the characters were in a different time and place. Also, having the story take place on a full set took away some of the intimacy. The story follows some very intimate moments in the lives of these characters and I prefered being in the same room with them.
Regardless of what I thought of the play or the movie I still find it strange that I forgot I'd already seen it. It made it hard to immerse myself in the movie as my memory of seeing the stage version came rushing back. Now that the movie is over I remember where I saw it, and why. I reviewed Theatre Junction's version for a criticism class I was taking, and I had the opportunity to argue my opinion with the professor who had also seen the play and we disagreed on everything. That was fun.