It is both painfully honest and laugh-out-loud funny at the same time.

Close shines in drama with strong language, adult themes.

I enjoyed watching this film and would recommend other to give it a try , (as I am) but this movie, although enjoyable to watch due to the better than average acting fails to add anything new to its storyline that is all too familiar to these types of movies.

Let me be very fair here, this is not the best movie in my opinion. But, this movie is fun, it has purpose and is very enjoyable to watch.

BETWEEN STRANGERS is a tough story told with unrelieved intensity, acted with underplayed angst, and directed with quiet strength by Eduardo Ponti. The "Strangers" are three unrelated women, each of whom has a burden that grows until it must be lifted.Mira Sorvino is a media photographer, daughter of Klaus Maria Brandauer (who has multiple awards for his own news photography, who has just had one of her images appear on TIME magazine - an image of a little girl from Angola who we gradually learn died in the fire Mira was photographing. She is haunted by the fact that the time she spent photographing the child could have been used to save the child's life.Deborah Unger is a concert cellist whose wife-abusing father (Malcolm McDowell) is released from prison despite her conviction that he should die for his cruelty, forcing her to leave her own family in the attempt to end her father's existence.Sophia Loren is a haggard housewife who has devoted her sad life to caring for her wheelchair-bound past athlete husband (Pete Postlethwaite) until she sees her illegitimate daughter she was forced to abandon becoming the sculptor artist she herself always wanted to be. Each of these women have visions of the same small girl at moments when they are forced to confront their pain and each finds a way back to salvation through 'living out a dream'.Some may find the story saccharine, but the actors deliver these sad folk in such an honest way that together they manage to capture our hearts. It is a true pleasure to see Sophia Loren act again and even the makeup she dons for her dowdy role cannot hide the fact that she remains one of the most beautiful women the screen has known - and one of the best actresses. All cast members are superb. Just be aware of the fact that this is a bleak story that requires much from the viewer. The rewards are worth it.

After about half an hour, I was almost ready to turn off the DVD because it seemed pretty boring and pointless. However, I stuck with it and was very amply rewarded as the movie came together to form a coherent whole. Up until about 2/3 the way through the movie, actually, how these three stories interrelated was completely uncertain--other than the fact the three main characters lived near each other. It was only later that the theme of loss and eventual redemption came to light. Three women all coming to terms with loss in their lives, then working through the crisis and ultimately making major decisions in their lives--and coincidentally meeting at the same table at the airport in the end.Sophia Loren plays, naturally, an older lady. Suddenly, she begins compulsively creating beautiful pictures but hides them from everyone. The reason for this is rather mystical but interesting. These pictures are a way for her coming to terms with a daughter she once gave up for adoption. While it was the best thing at the time, she is racked with guilt and failure over this.Mira Sorvino plays a photo journalist whose father is also a well-respected photo journalist (Klaus Maria Brandaur). He sees her as a "chip off the old block" after one of her photos makes the cover of Time Magazine. But, for some inexplicable reason she can't remember having taken the picture! Eventually, you figure out why and she is suddenly racked with guilt--should she photograph misery or do something to make a real difference is her dilemma.Deborah Kara Unger is an exceptionally talented cellist who has left her husband and young daughter. At the same time, her father (Malcolm McDowell--in a very restrained role) is released from prison after serving over 20 years for murdering Unger's mother. She finds she can't get on with her life and hovers between wanting to kill her dad, or herself or just allow her life to spin out of control--regardless, she is so racked with conflicting feelings she cannot function.How all three of these women resolve these dilemmas and deal with their regrets make this a great film. By the way, be sure to have some tissues nearby--you'll probably need them.

Between strangers tells the very loosely connected story of three women, all having lost an important aspect of their lives and the chance to confront their old ghosts.The three women are acted by three ages of women; Mira Sorvino, Debra Unger and finally the perennial Sophia Loren looking deliberately dowdy. They are supported by an able cast of some of Europe's actors, representing where the films finances were presumably gathered- Gerard depardieu (France) in an almost cameo appearance, Klaus Marie Brandauer (Germany)as an ambitious photojournalist father, Pete Postlethwaite(UK) as an embittered ex-runner.Add to that Sophia(Italy), Mira(USA) and Debra Unger(Canada) amongst others and this film must have cost more in airfares than any other cost.It is the second film by Edoardo Ponti, son of Carlo Ponti and more famously Sophia Loren. He never lets that get in the way of the story and directs her without kid gloves. He also wrote the script and, as a second film, it succeeds well with a story that moves along, letting us get to know and empathize with the characters and care what happens.

Everything about this movie was perfect - the three lead characters were played with such depth and restraint! Although I have never been in the position of any of these women (luckily), I feel like I could relate to their emotions, their ambivalence, their sadness and their ultimate strength. If ever there was a movie that showed the power of living through adversity, this is it! Gerard Depardieu was lovely as an intuitive friend - he was in it just a little, but his presence always moved the movie forward. Sophia Loren's husband was a perfectly human foil - both had shattered dreams and took two different paths in dealing with it, but both paths were completely understandable. Although his character could have been horribly despicable (and, boy!, some of his dialog was shockingly mean), he didn't seem like a monster. Not even the hoodlums were one-dimensional. Miro Sorvino took my breath away, Deborah Unger's restraint was outstanding and Sophia Loren - well, her best role, ever. This is a movie for the down-hearted, for those at impossible crossroads, and for those who like hopeful - not happy - endings.