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Anyone who’s been married for more than about a week or so knows that marriage isn’t always easy. More than just love, it takes trust and commitment and determination. And, even then, every marriage still faces its share of challenges—just like the ones in first-time director Massy Tadjedin’s simple, honest drama, Last Night.
Joanna Reed (Keira Knightley) is at a party with her husband, Michael (Sam Worthington), when she meets Laura (Eva Mendes), Michael’s gorgeous new colleague. As she watches the two together, their mutual attraction becomes painfully obvious—and it sparks a jealousy-fueled argument after she and Michael return home. But instead of letting Joanna’s anger simmer, Michael stays up with her, constantly reassuring her of his love for her.
The next day, though, Michael has to leave on a business trip—with Laura. And as Michael is forced to wrestle with his attraction to his beautiful coworker, Joanna finds herself facing temptation of her own, in the form of an old love, Alex (Guillaume Canet), who’s in town for the night.
It isn’t always easy to watch, but Last Night is a simple and brutally honest film about the challenges and threats that normal marriages face: the doubts, the fears, the insecurity, and the temptations.
Viewers have just a few minutes to see Joanna and Michael together—to feel invested in their marriage. But, in that time, you’ll get a pretty good feel for their relationship. You’ll see the doubts, the hurts, and the jealousy, but you’ll also see the other side: the comfortable familiarity and easy-going chemistry that the two share. Despite their issues—especially Joanna’s incessant questioning of their relationship—you’ll like them together.
What follows, then, is a very long, very tense game of will-they-or-won’t-they. Both characters have their moments of strength and weakness—and, like Joanna, you’ll find yourself constantly second-guessing everything. You’ll wonder whether Joanna will let her doubts get the best of her—and whether Michael will be able to maintain his unwavering commitment.
After a while, though, the will-they-or-won’t-they gets a bit old. The tension turns to frustration. And the constant talk about marriage and temptation and cheating—between Michael and Laura, between Joanna and Alex, between Alex’s good friend, Truman (Griffin Dunne), and both Alex and Joanna—feels rather heavy-handed and unnatural. There’s a whole lot of talk and not a lot of action—which, of course, is the point. But, by the end, it’s just a bit exhausting.
Last Night isn’t necessarily a remarkable drama. But it’s a challenging—and often heartbreaking—film, with a simple and sincere story that’s (generally) well told and solid performances by both Knightley and Worthington, who shows that he can be more than just an action hero. And it’s a strong first film from a new director who’s worth watching.
