Enduring Love (2004)

Two strangers become dangerously close after witnessing a deadly accident.

Director:

Roger Michell

Writers:

Ian McEwan (novel), Joe Penhall (screenplay)

Stars:

Rhys Ifans, Daniel Craig, Samantha Morton

4 wins & 12 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Daniel Craig	...	Joe
Samantha Morton	...	Claire
Bill Weston	...	Grandfather
Jeremy McCurdie	...	Boy in Balloon (as Jeremy Mccurdie)
Lee Sheward	...	John Logan
Nick Wilkinson	...	Farmer
Rhys Ifans	...	Jed
Bill Nighy	...	Robin
Susan Lynch	...	Rachel
Ben Whishaw	...	Spud
Justin Salinger	...	Frank
Andrew Lincoln	...	TV Producer
Helen McCrory	...	Mrs. Logan
Rosie Michell	...	Katie Logan (as Rosanna Michell)
Ella Doyle	...	Katie Logan's Friend

Storyline

On a beautiful cloudless day a young couple celebrate their reunion with a picnic. Joe has planned a postcard-perfect afternoon in the English countryside with his partner, Claire. But as Joe and Claire prepare to open a bottle of champagne, their idyll comes to an abrupt end. A hot air balloon drifts into the field, obviously in trouble. The pilot catches his leg in the anchor rope, while the only passenger, a boy, is too scared to jump down. Joe and three other men rush to secure the basket. Just as they secure the balloon, the wind rushes into the field, and at once the rescuers are airborne. Joe manages to drop to the ground, as do most of his companions, but one man is lifted skywards. As Joe, Claire and the other rescuers watch this strangely beautiful sight, they see the man fall to his death. Recalling the day's events at dinner with his friends Robin and Rachel, Joe reveals the impact the accident has had on his battered psyche. Ironically the balloon eventually lands safely,...

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Plot Keywords:

cell phone | balloon | field | accident | boy | 

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Taglines:

Unexpected. Unpredictable. Uncontrollable. A deadly obsession takes hold.

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Genres:

Drama | Mystery | Romance | Thriller

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated R for language, some violence and a disturbing image

Details

Official Sites:

Paramount Classics

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Release Date:

26 November 2004 (UK)

Also Known As:

Amor Obsessivo

Filming Locations:

Parliament Hill Fields, Hampstead Heath, Hampstead, London, England, UK

Box Office

Opening Weekend:

£165,338 (United Kingdom), 28 November 2004, Limited Release

Opening Weekend USA:

$34,610, 31 October 2004, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$358,262, 20 February 2005

Company Credits

Production Co:

Pathé Pictures International,UK Film Council,FilmFour

Technical Specs

Runtime:

100 min

Sound Mix:

Dolby Digital

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

Jed (Rhys Ifans) can be seen in the background of many scenes, most notably the art gallery, where he exits to the right promptly.

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Quotes

[first lines]
Joe: Wow...

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Crazy Credits

For Mary Selway (1936 - 2004)

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Connections

References Sesame Street (1969)

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Soundtracks

God Only Knows
Written by Brian Wilson & Tony Asher
Published by Rondor Music London Ltd on behalf of Sea of Tunes Pub. Co.

User Reviews

Enduring pretension

On the brink of a marriage proposal as they picnic in a country meadow, a college professor and his girlfriend are blind-sided when an out-of-control hot air balloon drops from the sky with a terrified young boy in its basket. Strangers arrive from nowhere to grab hold of the tethering ropes, but a gust of wind lifts the balloon back into the air. Everybody lets go - except for one man who plunges to his death shortly afterward.

From this melodramatic beginning, 'Enduring Love' quickly descends into an existentialist quagmire. The professor's romance begins to show signs of strain as he agonizes over his role in the accident, and one of the strangers from the field starts to stalk him. Characters converse in an artificially obscure manner, shout at one another and walk about in pouring rain to demonstrate their psychological conflict. An intrusive soundtrack, glib camera techniques and jumpy editing provide further irritation until another melodramatic episode resolves the issue with the stalker. Several years later, some of the characters return to the meadow to discuss how past events have affected their lives - while many viewers will be considering how a pretentious director and screenwriter have wasted 100 minutes of their time on such specious nonsense.