Closer 2004

An elaborate character study of two London couples as they engage in an ultimate game of partner swapping. Alice/Jane is a gorgeous young runaway from New York's seedy sex industry; she soon pairs up with Dan, a thoughtful but unsuccessful novelist and journalist, who authors a book about her. Anna is a quietly independent divorce and successful photographer. After Dan makes a move on her during a photo session for the book, she rejects Dan, who retaliates by tricking her into a relationship with Larry, a dermatologist with the lust and manners of a soccer hooligan. The plot revolves around the infatuation of the couples for one another. If they could only treat these dalliances with the silence they deserve, there would be no story here. Instead, they are brutally "honest" about their faithlessness, sometimes inventing boinks that never occurred to "test the love" of their significant other. Ultimately, each ends up with the partner for whom they are best suited; but has their desire to "win" at the game of love diminished their capacity to love and to enjoy its fruits?