Chloe (film)

Chloe is a 2009 erotic thriller directed by Atom Egoyan, a remake of the 2004 French film Nathalie.... This version stars Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, and Amanda Seyfried in the title role. The screenplay was written by Erin Cressida Wilson, based on an earlier French film, written by Anne Fontaine.

StudioCanal fully financed this film, which had already made its budget back via international pre-sales. In 2009, the film received award nominations from London Film Festival, San Sebastián International Film Festival, and Toronto International Film Festival under the category of Film Presented.

Sony Pictures Worldwide Acquisitions Group paid a low seven-figure sum to acquire this film's United States distribution rights, and the group opened this film in limited theatrical release in the United States on March 26, 2010 through Sony Pictures Classics. In the United States, this film grossed $3 million theatrically and became one of the higher-grossing specialty films in 2010 (according to Variety, "$3 million is the new $10 million" for specialty films' box office in 2010).

In the wake of this film, Atom Egoyan had since received many scripts of erotic thrillers. Amanda Seyfried's performance in this film also helped her to gain more industry acclaim and receive more opportunity to play more interesting roles.

Plot

The film opens with Chloe (Amanda Seyfried) dressing herself in front of a dirty mirror. In a voice over, she discusses her business as a call girl, explaining that she must be capable of pleasing her clients with her words, as well as with her actions.

Catherine (Julianne Moore), a gynecologist, is working in her office. She glances out of her window at different times to see Chloe entering hotels with her clients. Catherine's husband David (Liam Neeson), a college professor, lectures to a class in another city. Catherine hosts a surprise birthday party for David, who has not yet arrived. After assuring the guests that David is just minutes away, she gets a call from him saying that he missed his flight and will not make it home in time for his birthday. The next morning, after arriving home, Catherine suspects David of having an affair after she sees a picture of him and a female student hugging on his phone.

That evening David and Catherine go to dinner with two friends. David flirts with the waitress, upsetting Catherine. Catherine goes to the restroom and enters a stall. Overhearing a woman crying in the next stall, she asks her if everything is okay. Catherine hands her some toilet paper under the partition and exits her stall, where their hands briefly touch. The woman (Chloe) follows. As they are washing their hands, Chloe offers Catherine her hairpin. Catherine refuses, kindly, then says she must return to her husband. During dinner, Catherine notices Chloe with another client.

After work, Catherine stops by the hotel bar where Chloe spends the majority of her time waiting for potential clients. Chloe, looking at Catherine passionately, tells her that she doesn't usually meet with women." Catherine reassures Chloe, explaining that she suspects her husband of infidelity. She wants Chloe to go to David's coffee shop in the morning and test his loyalty. The next evening Catherine and Chloe meet at a bar. Chloe tells Catherine that she asked David to kiss her, and he did. Angered, Catherine tells Chloe that wasn't what she wanted her to do. However, she insists that Chloe meet with David again.

The next evening, Chloe tells Catherine that she went with David to a garden, where she seduced him. Catherine is heartbroken. Once more, she insists that Chloe meet with David again. The next day Catherine receives a text message from Chloe at work, asking her to meet her at a hotel. When Catherine arrives, Chloe tells her that she had sex with David. She describes the encounter in explicit detail, but rather than causing Catherine more heartbreak, it arouses her. Upon leaving the hotel room, Chloe, feeling remorse, kisses Catherine, who abruptly leaves.

During her son's (Michael) piano recital, she replays her meeting with Chloe, clearly in distress. She spots David, but does not sit next to him. Leaving the recital, Catherine meets Chloe at a hotel and has sex with her. Afterwards, Catherine and Chloe share a taxi and Chloe offers her her hairpin again. She says it was her mother's, and she wants Catherine to have it. Catherine doesn't reply to Chloe but she takes the hairpin. Catherine enters her home to find David waiting for her. He asks her if she's been unfaithful. Catherine becomes infuriated and tells him she's been meaning to ask him the same question. David declines to respond.

Cast

Amanda Seyfried as Chloe Sweeney

Liam Neeson as David Stewart

Julianne Moore as Dr. Catherine Stewart

Max Thieriot as Michael Stewart

R. H. Thomson as Frank

Nina Dobrev as Anna

Meghan Heffern as Miranda

Laura DeCarteret as Alicia

Mishu Vellani as Julie

Critical reception

The film opened in 350 theatres to mixed reviews. Chloe was given a 53% "Rotten" rating on Rotten Tomatoes. Metacritic, which assigns a normalized score from major reviewers, gave the film a 48 out of 100, based on 33 reviews. Roger Ebert of the Chicago Sun-Times gave the film 3.5 out of 4 stars, while Elizabeth Weitzman of New York Daily News gave the film 1 out of 5 stars.

Production notes

Financed solely in France, the film was shot in Toronto. Several famous local landmarks can be seen, such as Allan Gardens, Cafe Diplomatico, The Rivoli, the Windsor Arms Hotel, the Royal York Hotel, the Royal Ontario Museum, the CN Tower, the Art Gallery of Ontario and the Ontario College of Art.

Liam Neeson's wife, Natasha Richardson, had a skiing accident during filming. Neeson decided to leave the set to take care of his wife, who died from her injury a few days later. The filmmakers changed the script accordingly for Neeson’s absence. Just a few days after his wife's death, Neeson returned to the set and filmed the remainder of his scenes in two days.

Jason Reitman helped persuade Amanda Seyfried to star in this film.

Canadian indie rock band Raised by Swans has two songs featured in the movie and the band is mentioned several times by Chloe.

Anne Fontaine (the writer/director of Nathalie...) said that she was interested in Egoyan's take on her original. Fontaine also said that she even wasn't happy with Nathalie..., because the two lead actresses of the film objected to Fontaine's original intention for a lesbian relationship to develop between their characters.

Home video release

Chloe was released in the United States on July 13, 2010 in both DVD and Blu-ray Disc. The disc includes an audio commentary, making-of featurette and deleted scenes.