Passion Of Mind (2000)


psychological drama
directed by : Alain Berliner
featuring : Demi Moore - Stellan Skarsgard - William Fichtner - Sinead Cusack - Peter Riegert
running time : 1 hour 45 minutes 
Demi Moore stars in this unusual psychological drama about two women caught between reality and imagination. Marie (Moore) is an American widow trying to raise two children under difficult circumstances in a small town in France. Marty (also played by Moore) is a successful businesswoman in New York City who wants to leave her busy life and lead a quieter existence in Europe. But Marty is just a product of Marie's imagination or at least that's what Marie thinks. Marty, on the other hand, is convinced that Marie is just someone she dreamed up. Who is right? Or are both of them wrong? And where does it leave the men in their lives (Stellan Skarsgard and William Fichtner)? Passion Of Mind was the first English-language film from French director Alain Berliner, best known for the arthouse success Ma Vie en Rose.

A measured, seductive pace isn't a drawback for a film in and of itself, but this character drama from director Berliner becomes turgid before finally cohering in its finale with a twist ending that's delightfully unexpected but also vaguely unsatisfying. The first English-language film from Berliner is centered around a dual performance by actress Moore, who stretches with a pair of roles that are softer, more psychologically substantial and maternal than her previous hard-body characters required. Too much of the film's second act delves into the personal and romantic lives of the two central characters, however, leaving a preponderance of unanswered questions once the third act revelation is unveiled. Comparisons of the film to Polish director Krzysztof Kieslowki's international hit The Double Life Of Veronique (1991) are inevitable, but the earlier film, while filmed in the same lush hues, contained numerous clever visual symbols that reinforced its heroine's duality, making it a richer cinematic experience.