I Want You (1998)

A young boy and his sister are drawn into one man's obsessive pursuit of his former lover.

Director:

Michael Winterbottom

Writer:

Eoin McNamee (screenplay)

Stars:

Rachel Weisz, Alessandro Nivola, Luka Petrusic

2 wins & 2 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Rachel Weisz	...	Helen
Alessandro Nivola	...	Martin
Luka Petrusic	...	Honda
Labina Mitevska	...	Smokey
Paul Popplewell	...	Phonebox Man
Ben Daniels	...	Bob
Graham Crowden	...	Old Man
Geraldine O'Rawe	...	Sonja
Steve John Shepherd	...	Sam
Phyllida Law	...	Woman at Hairdresser #1
Mary MacLeod	...	Woman at Hairdresser #2
Kenny Doughty	...	Smokey's Friend
Des McAleer	...	Flowers Salesman
Julian Rivett	...	Billy
Julie Smith	...	Young Woman

Storyline

Helen is a young woman running a hairdressing salon; Bob is her boyfriend and local radio DJ; Honda is a mute kid who's secretly taping people's conversation and Smokey is Honda's sister who sings at local bar. New guy in town is the mysterious Martin, who shares some dark history with Helen and observes her from afar at first. Honda falls in love with Helen and starts taping her conversations with Bob, and that leads to reactivation of the Helen-Martin relationship.

---

Plot Keywords:

england | dj | probation | mute | hairdresser | 

---

Taglines:

What she wants, she gets.

---

Genres:

Crime | Drama | Music | Romance | Thriller

---

Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for strong sexuality, violence and language

Details

Country:

UK

Language:

English Macedonian Serbo-Croatian

Release Date:

30 October 1998 (UK)

Also Known As:

Beloved

Filming Locations:

Pett Level, Hastings, East Sussex, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend USA:

$1,242, 6 June 1999, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$1,242, 6 June 1999

Company Credits

Production Co:

Polygram Filmed Entertainment, Revolution Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

87 min

Sound Mix:

DTS Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Connections

Features Romeo Is Bleeding (1993)

---

Soundtracks

Happy
Written by Fran Healy (as Francis Healy)
Performed by Travis
Published by Sony / ATV Music Publishing
Licensed by kind permission of Independiente Limited

User Reviews

Underrated trawl through the realms of obsession and deceit

Director Michael Winterbottom doesn't make conventional British films. His work has the austere demeanour and unrestrictive sense of experimentation that we normally associate with the European aesthetic of filmmakers like Herzog, Kieslowski, Bergman, et al. This ideology is further illustrated by the film in question, with the director employing the esteemed cinematographer of Kieslowski's A Short Film About Killing (1987), Slavomir Idziak, to create the dark, noir-like underworld of disintegrating coastal beach huts and seedy promenades where these mysterious characters come to congregate. It's one of those films that puts atmosphere before everything else; a film in which the long pauses between dialog and the odd sideways glance of a character says more than an explanatory line of dialog ever could. If you have a problem with films of this nature - the kind that leaves questions and images lingering in the viewer's mind for weeks to follow - then this probably won't be the film for you.

The plot is, on first glance, a simple one; relying on a series of emotional triggers whilst also playing with the usual cinematic chronology to go backwards and forwards into an event from the past. However, as we further explore the films sub-textual ideologies and the shadowy morals of the central quartet of characters, we discover hidden depths that have more to do with perception, memory and perspective. Winterbottom sets up an idea that each character sees a particular event in a certain way, so that we end up with multiple viewpoints all jostling for our attention. The resulting plot becomes much more of a puzzle, as we are further immersed within the shocking incident that bookends the narrative. Added to this, we are also given a narrator who cannot be trusted, which in turn leads us into a series of twists which expose the characters true intentions. The ultimate pay off comes right out of nowhere and knocks us off our feet, as the director subverts everything that we've previously seen and turns it into an almost epiphany. It's one of the most satisfying pay offs to a crime thriller that I've seen in some time.

The photography of Idziak takes us into further labyrinthine realms that perfectly complement the seedy atmosphere and perpetual drive of lust and obsession, with the entire film relying on various colour filters that not only highlight the mood, but also act as a visual anchor to the characters and the emotional context of the moment. The music too is detailed and significant, with Winterbottom using a series of musical motifs to expressionistically represent the emotional underlining of the characters. In a film that relies on sound as such an integral component of the script this is expertly handled. The inclusion of Elvis Costello's eponymous anthem from which the film takes its title is totally relevant, and certainly adds a much-needed sense of abstract, fragmented reality to the self-contained world of the plot. The central performances only help to give the film an even greater sense of added depth, with the two youngsters Luka Petrusic and Lubina Mitevska complementing the more seasoned members of the cast perfectly. In the lead role of Helen, Rachel Weisz exudes a provocative, sexual energy, whilst Alesandro Nivola is a revelation as the broken-down Martin.

I Want You (1998) is, for me, one of the most striking and evocative cinematic works of the last decade. An example of British cinema pushed beyond the realms of kitchen-sink and ably demonstrating a sense of visual imagination rare for this kind of genre. This is an exception film for those who enjoy their thrillers with a dark underlining and a distinctly multi-dimensional edge.