The Wife (2017)

☆ ☆ ☆ ½

The Wife (2017) -- B. Runge

Watching Glenn Close begin to burn with resentment as her husband (Jonathan Pryce) receives the Nobel Prize for Literature is a sombre affair.  As he meets various Swedish officials and other celebrated figures, he is quick to acknowledge his wife, Joan, and his debt to her.  We learn that she gave up her own writing career to raise a family, a sacrifice so many women have made (to the detriment of society?).  Despite his efforts to include his wife, it is clear that Joe Castleman (Pryce) is insensitive and self-absorbed (which also impacts his son, Max Irons, who is a fledgling writer).  As played with great control by Close, Joan is attentive to her husband’s needs and whims, but clearly losing patience.  When she declares a desire to be by herself, she is stalked by aspiring biographer Christian Slater, who seeks some dirt on Joe, raising the possibility that Joan herself had ghost written some of her husband’s novels.  She brushes him off but the tension within her starts to mount. Swedish director Björn Runge doesn’t quite make it to Bergman territory here (where couples really do tear each other apart); although the acting is strong from the leads, the dialogue doesn’t quite keep pace.  Moreover, the plot becomes increasingly far-fetched, undercutting the focus on the very real power imbalances within families, by portraying an extreme example.  Flashback scenes (featuring Glenn Close’s real daughter Annie Starke) don’t operate at the same level of quality as the modern scenes.  But there is no doubt that Glenn Close deserved the kudos she received for her work on this film – and this theme deserves closer scrutiny.