Clint Eastwood directed this movie and proved again that he is not only a talented actor but also an interesting director. He belongs to the type of directors who usually play in their own movies. Not all of them succeed but Eastwood does.
The movie, contrary to what one can expect from Clint is not a cowboy movie. It is a psychological drama telling about love between two aged people. The subject is not very popular. Their life routes crossed by accident and the beautiful affair sprang: an affair that lasted 4 days but remained with them for the rest of their lives.
Francesca Johnson (Meryl Streep) plays a housewife who devoted herself completely to her family. So when the handsome knight appears she naturally falls in love with him. Robert Kincaid (Clint Eastwood) is not like anyone she has known before, a wanderer without a shelter. They both recognise the unusualness of that affair. They spend together a few wonderful days. But what can become of such a friendship that turned into love with a tremendous speed? The characters of the film decide it for themselves. There could be other solutions and other outputs. They make their choices but those choices are not fixed. Francesca feels that their love is doomed but it does not diminishes its value for her.
The movie is set like a piece of drama: there are no exciting actions there. All the movie is mostly talks. It shows the development of relations without exaggerations and distortions, like something that could really happen.
The film is made like a flashback. The children of Francesca read her diary where she described the whole romance. First they are shocked but later it helps them to realize the unusual posthumous wish of their mother. It also helps them to understand better their own family problems and at least partly fix them. The film switches between these two layers comparing the situations in the past and in the present.
The film also shows an insight into the rural life in Iowa and though those shots are not long or numerous they perfectly outline the background of the situation. That particular type of romance could happen only in those circumstances. Farming family traditions are strong but that is not what holds Francesca. It is the doom of her destiny that she feels so sharply and Robert's philosophy cannot shake it.
The actors' play is magnificent. Meryl Streep looks unusual in this role but her acting is stunning. Clint Eastwood is as good as always. The film succeeded in showing an erotic tension between two characters and that is not an easy thing to do.
This film deserves all the praise. Clint Eastwood has shown himself a talented and multisided director who is capable of much more than cowboy movies (though even his cowboy films were not in the usual gut). Meryl Streep revealed herself as a good actress. Even the actors in episodic parts are shown realistically. This movie is a real psychological drama that sometimes comes to the edge but never slips into melodrama. If you like to watch dramas with development of relationships I think you will like this movie.
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