Another Masterpiece By Sarah Polley

Canadian director Sarah Polley is fast becoming one of my most favourite directors. Her directorial debut Away From Her was brilliant and won her an Oscar nomination. Her second movie in theatres right now Take This Waltz is another masterpiece.

First and foremost, extra-marital affairs and challenging marriage as an institution are not new subject matters for a movie - we've seen them before and it's difficult to break new grounds. But, as usual, with Polley, the writing and the direction are always subtle and sensitive. There's nothing right or wrong about adultery (although it's a mortal sin according to Catholicism) and it's futile to constantly look for excitement in a married relationship. The beginning of the movie just deals with these themes all at one go - Margot (played by Michelle Williams) witnesses a young couple exchanging their wedding vows at a church in Louisbourg, Nova Scotia. She then participates in a public flogging of an adulterer even though it's meant to be a tourist attraction.

As one of the acclaimed movie critics said, there's nothing wrong about focusing on the magic of Toronto! Most Hollywood and independent directors shot their movies in Toronto, faking the city as some place else - New York City or Chicago or even Boston. But Polley focuses her story and her camera lenses on the streets of Toronto with all its merits. Apart from Michelle Williams, she features a lot of Canadian actors - Seth Rogen shines as Margot's husband Lou and Luke Kirby plays the lover Daniel. Even Stratford Shakespeare Festival stars such as Graham Abbey and Damien Atkins are given minor roles in this flick.

I like the beginning and the end of the movie woven around the same themes and shots - we see Margot cooking in her kitchen in her pale-blue pedicured bare feet whenever she's bored with her relationship with her men. We can sense Margot's pleasure and loneliness in the two roller-coaster rides with the song Video Killed The Radio Star blasting in the background. And, of course, you cannot but warm to the musical features by Canadian artists Leonard Cohen (the name of the movie was inspired by Cohen's song of the same name), Feist and Burton Cummings in the movie's soundtrack.

Polley's honesty as a director is fully demonstrated by the swimming pool scene - a group of boomer and senior women with their younger counterparts all appearing naked in the showers. There's nothing permanent in both beauty and relationships. One cannot stay young forever, nor can one be permanently in love. It's not very pleasant to see the comparison of old and young fleshes, but it's the stark reality of aging!

The actors are all superb. Michelle Williams continues to outshine everybody and I wouldn't be surprised if she's nominated for another Oscar for her role as Margot. Seth Rogen should shed his irritating comical roles in the future and take on more serious roles such as Lou.

Does this movie have any flaws? Yes, of course. I hardly see any rickshaws in the residential areas of Toronto and how can a writer cum rickshaw driver afford the spacious, lofty love nest? The movie could also have ended much earlier, but these are only minor weaknesses. I heard that Sarah Polley's third feature film Stories We Tell will make its world premiere at the Venice Film Festival next month. I, for one, am looking forward to its public release on October 12.