We Don't Live Here Anymore (2004)

User Rating:

6.3/10   

Director:

John Curran

Writers (WGA):

Andre Dubus (short stories "We Don't Live Here Anymore" and "Adultery")
Larry Gross (screenplay)

Release Date:

18 November 2004 (Israel)

Genre:

Drama | Romance

Tagline:

Ordinary lives. Extraordinary emotions.

Plot:

An indiscretion between two close friends tears down their respective marriages.

Plot Keywords:

Aspiring Writer | Split Up | Profanity | Unfaithful Husband | Plumber

Awards:

2 wins & 3 nominations

Cast

Mark Ruffalo	...	Jack Linden
Laura Dern	...	Terry Linden
Peter Krause	...	Hank Evans
Naomi Watts	...	Edith Evans
Sam Charles	...	Sean Linden
Haili Page	...	Natasha Linden
Jennifer Bishop	...	Sharon Evans
Jennifer Mawhinney	...	Audrey
Amber Rothwell	...	Lauren
Meg Roe	...	Lollipop Girl
Jim Francis	...	Joe Ritchie
Marc Baur	...	Plumber
Patrick Earley	...	Jim

Also Known As:

Adultery (USA) (working title)

MPAA:

Rated R for sexual content and language.

Runtime:

101 min

Country:

USA | Canada

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital | DTS | SDDS

Certification:

Finland:K-15 | Iceland:16 | USA:R (#40903) | New Zealand:R16 | Netherlands:AL | Singapore:M18 | UK:15 | Argentina:16 | Spain:18 | Brazil:16 | Ireland:18 | Australia:MA | Canada:14A

Filming Locations:

Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada

Company:

Front Street Productions

Quotes:

Edith Evans: You know what I wanted. I wanted to know where we were. Now I know.
Jack Linden: And?
Edith Evans: You love the person you're having the affair with.

Movie Connections:

Featured in The 20th IFP Independent Spirit Awards (2005) (TV)

Soundtrack:

If It's Over

A Thought-Provoking Film Experience!

There was a Bergmanesque quality to "We Don't Live Here Any More," recalling the passionate stories and deep psychological insights into characters in the films of the Swedish auteur filmmaker. Like Bergman, director John Curran offered a sensitive touch to the film's deliberate style of pacing and the still moments where the characters seemed lost in thought.

The story of "We Don't Live Here Any More" focuses on two married couples in adulterous relationships. The physical environments helped to convey the essence of how mismatched the individual characters were in their marriages. The characters of Jack (Mark Ruffalo) and Edith (Naomi Watts) would have seemed much more at home in the cheerful and immaculate house. By contrast, Hank (Peter Krause) and Terry (Laura Dern) would have found a better fit in the cluttered, bohemian-style home. All four performances were moving and believable. From the film's opening scene, it was easy to see how the characters were propelled to one another.

This was not a perfect film. It would have been more true to life to focus on the emotional layers of characterization instead of the sex. For the most part, the four characters seemed like good parents, and it was difficult to imagine where they would find the time to set up their trysts and be away from home for protracted periods. The genius of Bergman was to tap into those deep layers of emotional pain, which seemed remarkably absent in this film. Instead of heading out into the forest or into the car, it would have been revealing to learn more about the characters' feelings in their own homes and in their own words.

Still, after viewing "We Don't Live Here Anymore," I found myself reflecting on the characters and the relationships many days later. And that is a sign of a good film!