Although the characters in Closer are on an emotional rollercoaster ride of love, betrayal, loss, and guilt, and I appreciated that they were caught up in this storm, I myself didn’t feel broken up by their plight. In a way I felt like a voyeur: fascinated up in their lives, but not actually affected by them.

It’s a beautifully made film, with strong performances all round (although I’m scratching my head a bit about Clive Owen being the stand-out, award-winning one), although the dialogue is sometimes just a tad too clipped and stagey. It’s unquestionably a worthwhile watch, but don’t go in expecting an easy love story. It’s pretty brutal about the hurt that people cause each other, and not terribly positive about the ultimate outcomes of the various intertwingled romances, either.