THE CLEARING
US, 2004, 95 minutes, Colour.
Robert Redford, Helen Mirren, Willem Dafoe, Alessandro Nivola, Wendy Craven, Wendy Crewson.
Directed by Jan Pieter de Breugghe.
With Robert Redford, Helen Mirren and Willem Dafoe as the stars, audiences will be expecting something high-powered from this film. That would be a mistake. In fact, this is a brief, rather low-key abduction thriller that puts its emphasis on psychological responses rather than on violence and action.
The film shows the day beginning for these three people. The businessman gets ready for work. His wife does her exercises and prepares for a quiet day. The abductor looks at himself in the mirror and goes to put his plan into action.
In many ways, it is all rather easily done. The abductor quietly holds a gun and persuades the businessman to leave his vehicle. They go into the words, talking to one another (the businessman has been responsible for the abductor losing his job), aiming for a clearing where the businessman will be held to ransom. In the meantime, the wife rather calmly reports her husband missing, the FBI move in and follow procedures. Her children come (and there is one blood pressure moment when the son (Alessandro Nivola) loses his temper with the agent. But his mother soon apologises.
It is all very civilised rather than bullets flying all over the place. The film relies more on menace and uncertainty. It is the opposite of the Tarantino-trend.
1.An abduction thriller? Psychological thriller?
2.The Pennsylvania settings, the city, the woods and the mountains, the musical score?
3.The title, the goal of reaching the clearing, the place of Wayne’s death?
4.The structure of the film: Arnold beginning his day, Wayne and Eileen and their day? The shift of times, the intercutting of the various stories? But not in chronological time, Eileen’s story preceding that of the day with Wayne and Arnold?
5.Arnold, getting up, his looking at himself, the disguise, stalking Wayne, the fact that he had followed Wayne and taken photos? The actual abduction, quiet, drawing the gun – but later shooting? The talk with Wayne, the walk in the mountains, the shoes, freeing his hands, firing the shot, his own story, being sacked, his wife, two daughters, living with the father-in-law and his snoring? Wayne’s escaping, the chase? The build-up to the clearing, Arnold and his shooting Wayne? The collection of the money, the directions for Eileen? Late in the supermarket, passing the hundred-dollar bills, caught – wanting to be caught or not? The ordinary man, a sense of losing?
6.Eileen, wealthy background, her love for her husband, not wanting to hear about his affair, telling him to cut loose from the woman? Her relationship with her children, the grandchild? The visitors and Wayne’s absence? Swimming in the pool, keeping young, exercising? The information about her husband’s being missing, the FBI and their presence in the house, the meals, the discussions, the process? Everybody being calm? Eileen’s calm, her son’s outburst, her apology to the FBI agent? Her visiting the woman, their discussion about the relationship with Wayne, Wayne’s helping the woman? The phone call, the getting of the money, going to the rendezvous, the further phone calls? The end, her husband’s death, imagining him after receiving his note?
7.Wayne, the background, poor family, marrying his sweetheart, his children, his way of life, the affair and helping the woman, her admiration for him rather than love? Eileen telling him to stop the affair, his continuing to see the woman, the compromising photo? His own company, its failure, his being a consultant? Wealth, the house? Getting up, the farewell to Eileen, the abduction, his calm reaction, the walk in the woods, talking and telling his Arnold? The attempt to escape? His writing the note to Eileen, expressing his love? His death?
8.The children, their coming to their mother, the meals, the FBI, the son’s angry outburst?
9.The woman, Wayne’s help, her admiration for him, the affair?
10.The FBI agents, the explanation of the process? Their wisdom in handling the situation?
11.A satisfying – if low-key – abduction thriller?
