The Edge of Love
The Edge of Love
| 13 March 2009 (USA)
The Edge of Love Trailers

When the Welsh poet Dylan Thomas and his flirtatious wife Caitlin sweep into war-torn London, the last thing they expect is to bump into Dylan's childhood sweetheart Vera. Despite her joy at seeing Dylan after so many years, Vera is swept off her feet by a dashing officer, William Killick, and finds herself torn between the open adoration of her new found beau and the wily charms of the exotic Welshman.

Reviews
Vashirdfel

Simply A Masterpiece

... View More
Pacionsbo

Absolutely Fantastic

... View More
TaryBiggBall

It was OK. I don't see why everyone loves it so much. It wasn't very smart or deep or well-directed.

... View More
ChanFamous

I wanted to like it more than I actually did... But much of the humor totally escaped me and I walked out only mildly impressed.

... View More
PeachHamBeach

THE EDGE OF LOVE. I even found the title intriguing. Can the edge of love grow in many strange directions? Does madness live beyond this edge? At times, it feels like the film seems to be missing something. It's hard to describe. It's either that or it's just that sometimes you feel strangely disconnected from the characters, which somehow makes it even more difficult to stop watching and just turn off. You just can't seem to turn away from this private little world in which one man and two women live. John Maybury definitely has his own unique "grammar" in film, which he himself makes fun of along with actor Matthew Rhys in a commentary track which is as much fun as the movie itself.THE EDGE OF LOVE is set in WWII London and Wales, and is based on the life of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas, played to perfection by Rhys, who obviously had tons of fun doing it, capturing the poet's childish yet magnetic vibe. Sienna Miller, an actress who deserves to be known for more than just her personal life splashed in tabloids, plays Dylan's charismatic, sexy yet formidable Irish wife Caitlin with extreme skill.There are other women in Dylan's life, of course, but only one poses any real threat to Caitlin: a Welsh woman named Vera (Keira Knightley), a gorgeous creature who sings cabaret in the underground pubs of London as bombs shake the ground above. Vera is Dylan's childhood friend and "soulmate". The bond between the two is inexplicably vibrant on screen. Again, it's like a private world that you are only ever afforded a glimpse into, yet cannot resist. It's like visiting aliens. Dylan loves Vera passionately, yet he is married to Caitlin, and honestly loves Caitlin too. Caitlin grows to love Vera as a best friend, though she does give Vera fair warning that if she messes with Dylan behind Caitlin's back, there will be hell to pay. It's so bizarre to see these two young women having so much fun together, enjoying each other's companionship while this undercurrent of jealousy seethes. Dylan of course loves the attention of two women at once, but there is this palpable lack of malice. All you feel is this childish wonder in him.Just a tip for those who might be curious: There are no three-way sex scenes or situations other than Dylan loving both his wife and his childhood lover at the very same time, while the three live in the same house.Early in the film, Vera, as much a modern free spirit as Caitlin, meets an English soldier named William (Cillian Murphy) who falls in love with and marries her. Does she return the love? Vera doesn't know. She tells him that only after he comes safely home from fighting overseas will she let him know. He is only gone for a year, give or take, but he has seen enough horror to scar him for life, and William is still so disturbed by the mysterious bond between his wife and Dylan Thomas that what happens next is inevitable. Murphy's acting is top notch, as per usual, and William becomes the one character in this foursome dynamic that you can actually relate to on any level. You can "become" William, and then, again, it's like you're among aliens, childishly innocent and idealistic aliens who are also extremely narcissistic, shameless samplers of everything life has to offer regardless of who gets hurt or destroyed, yet never truly meaning to "hurt" anyone. Theirs is the belief that you can love many people in your life, that you can have be involved sexually with many people without it affecting your capacity to love your spouse. Dylan Thomas has plenty of poetry "groupies". Caitlin also indulges in sex on the side with various men. Again, the only true threat to Caitlin is Vera, if Vera and Dylan sleep together. Because then it "means" something. The threat to William is obvious as well.It is only after Vera has William's baby that she begins to realize that there is something to be said for having someone love you, actually love you, for real, in the "real" world. The dreamy little universe she has shared with Dylan no longer sparkles like it used to, because the unexpected love she feels for the husband she has taken for granted has changed her. Dylan, however is not quite so ready to give up the notion that Vera's heart is his. When Vera reads Dylan his pedigree and tells him that William "makes her real", it redeems her character, defines it. Ultimately, the three-way bond between Dylan and the two women has to be cut. This means the end of the fragile friendship between Vera and Caitlin, but it leads you to ask: Was it really a friendship? Was anything between these three "real"? Or was it all this world of ignorant bliss and sexual freedom?Like this review, THE EDGE OF LOVE is strange and hard to describe. You can call it a highly unusual romance/historic war drama/period piece, very quirky, with memorable visuals and great acting by all four leads. One thing's for sure: it's different.

... View More
kluismans

i did not expect to enjoy this. in truth i watched it because a friend knew a friend knew a friend who wrote the script but wasn't credited. knowing Dylan thomas, and really being appreciative of his poetry but aware and rather disconcerted by the man, i didn't feel i needed to see a twee adaption of his lame bohemian life laid bare. and this was not it. critical and yet appreciative it was. it made me cry. kiera knightley was superb, even with that slightly strained welsh accent,and it is a sad tale that they tell. Dylan thomas is not the hero as sadly he was not throughout his life and neither really are the so called 'feisty woman' of the pr spiel. it is cillian the william of the movie. a man that leaves the woman he loves to fight a war that they ignore. his challenge to reoonnect with that indifference is what is of real interest to this film and what a beautiful performance from that actor. i thiink this film is underrated because it was marketed so badly. Dylan thomas fans will expect something more from their so very flawed hero and get less, and well that is how it was marketed. it is not a film about Dylan thomas and it is much more interesting for it.

... View More
ceche

When you think of a "menage à trois", this film is certainly not the first to come in mind: the story itself, revolving around the close friendship between Caitlin MacNamara (Sienna Miller) and Vera Phillips (Keira Knightley), respectively wife and former (?) lover of Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (Matthew Rhys), however true, is irrelevant when taking into consideration the strong points of this film. The film acquires pace and intensity only halfway through, when Vera's husband, William Killick (Cillian Murphy), returns after having fought in World War II and has to come to terms with the horrible trauma he suffered while feeling that no one around him is capable of understanding such pain. Consequently, Vera is devastated by the radical change her husband has undergone and becomes obsessed with his recovery, whilst burying her frustration by being a model mother; on the other hand, Caitlin's dissatisfaction resolves in more and more frequent extra-marital affairs and Dylan dives deeper into his art, forgetting about everything else. By a cruel joke of fate, the only genuinely normal relationship seems to be the one between the two women, falling together in the abyss of incommunicability which separates them from their respective husbands. The actors are all at their best, perfectly conveying the sense of irreparable defeat which drives the characters to such extreme behaviours, and it's not merely coincidental that the predominant colors of the various settings are grey, brown and a dull green, as if to point out the road to perdition the characters are treading along. The finale, which of course I won't reveal, brings forward a question: Can we allow the very same love that made us atone for its sins to lift us back up on our feet? What is the nature of this love? I don't presume to reply, nor shall I dwell on the significance of the word "edge", which can assume a variety of shades, all present, depending upon the undertone one chooses to attribute to it.

... View More
TxMike

Dylan Thomas was a poet from Wales. I had heard of him, but knew nothing of him, nor his work. That he died, at age 39 while on a USA tour, was a surprise. In general I have a very low opinion of poets who simply view their vocation in life as a poet. So to me Dylan Thomas was not a productive member of society. When I was 20 and in college 43 years ago I wrote this poem, and it sums up my feeling:"To write a poem is hard indeed, agreed? <> To think great thoughts, a might task, <> So why should I presume to ask, <> Simple folk my simple poem to read?"But all that aside, I enjoyed this movie. The three main actors created interesting roles. The movie is based on real people, but I gather that most of the situations and dialog are fictional.Keira Knightley is Vera Phillips, friends with Dylan Thomas from their youth. Even though he eventually marries someone else, he never seems to lose his fascination with Vera, who aspires to be a professional singer.The movie is set during the war in the 1940s and some scenes are of Vera singing to huddled Londoners seeking shelter in the tunnels below the city. To her credit Knightly does all her own singing. Matthew Rhys is Dylan Thomas and Sienna Miller is his wife Caitlin MacNamara.

... View More