Passion of Mind (2000)

Director:

Alain Berliner

Writers (WGA):

Ronald Bass (written by) and
David Field (written by)

Release Date:

7 January 2000 (Italy)

Genre:

Romance | Drama | Mystery

Tagline:

What if you had two lives at once. What if you knew that one life took place only in your dreams. What if you didn't know which life was real.

Plot:

A psychological romantic thriller where fantasy and reality become indistinguishable for a woman leading a double life in her dreams.

Plot Keywords:

Dream | Accountant | Double Life | Widow | Sex

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Eloise Eonnet	...	Jennifer 'Jenny' Talridge
Hadrian Dagannaud-Brouard	...	Jean-Pierre
Chaya Cuénot	...	Serafine 'Sarah' Talridge
Demi Moore	...	Martha Marie / 'Marty' Talridge
Julianne Nicholson	...	Kim
William Fichtner	...	Aaron Reilly
Sinéad Cusack	...	Jessie (as Sinead Cusack)
Joss Ackland	...	Dr. Langer, the French Psychiatrist
Peter Riegert	...	Dr. Peters, the New York Psychiatrist
Stellan Skarsgård	...	William Granther
Gerry Bamman	...	Edward 'Ed' Youngerman

MPAA:

Rated PG-13 for scenes of sexuality.

Runtime:

105 min | Finland:101 min | Germany:96 min (TV version)

Country:

USA

Language:

English | French

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Certification:

Iceland:L | South Korea:15 | France:U | Germany:12 | Hong Kong:IIA | New Zealand:PG | Norway:15 | Spain:7 | UK:12 | USA:PG-13 | Singapore:PG | Philippines:PG-13

Filming Locations:

Bouches-du-Rhône, France

Company:

Lakeshore Entertainment

Movie Connections:

References Giulia e Giulia (1987)

Soundtrack:

My Favorite Things (1959)

A Delightful Surprise

This is a very fine film, one I very nearly missed because of my disdain for Demi Moore. But I was wrong. Director Alain Berliner gives her both the safe space and the restraint that she needs to go beyond herself and produce by far the best performance of her career (of the films I have seen).

With a very fine ensemble cast including Willaim Fichtner, Stellan Skårsgard, Joss Ackland, Sinead Cusack and Peter Riegert, this film offers a delicate exploration of questions central to human psychology and the interaction of our inner and outer lives.

Beautifully photographed by Eduardo Serra and surprisingly well-written by Hollywood regular Ron Bass and relative neophyte David Field, this film at first appears to be heading for typical "Women's Film" territory, but Berliner and the writers put a wholly original, subtly crafted spin on it that makes it anything but predictable and ordinary.

I have a complete review of the film up at my website: www.thenedpages.com - then click on "critical analysis" and pick it off the list of reviews.