The Wife [2018] – ★★★★

There is a saying that behind every successful man there is a woman, and The Wife exemplifies this saying like no other film. More often than not, society concerns itself with appearances, and people often only see what the façade presents – be it in relation to a relationship or a family. What is going on behind closed doors or what people may feel inside may be another matter altogether. The Wife is just that thought-provoking film that deals with this and other issues. Based on a novel of the same name by Meg Wolitzer, the movie is about a married couple Joe and Joan Castleman (Jonathan Pryce and Glenn Close) who receive rather exciting news – Joe is to be given the Nobel Prize for Literature. The duo, together with their son David, travel to Stockholm to receive this honour, and while there, both Jo and Joan experience a crisis of faith, and one big secret of their lives comes dangerously close to being unravelled. The film has its faults, but Glenn Close’s performance ensures that the film is sincere and convincing. If the first part of the film is this slightly mysterious story of whether there is something wrong in the happy marriage and the professional lives of Joe and Joan, than the second half is all about unsaid things emerging, imposing themselves on everyone around.

The story starts rather interestingly. There is this eccentric genius of a husband, who is a celebrated author, and there is also his devoted wife, who is full of humility and respect when the said husband gets the news that he is to receive the achievement of his lifetime. There is everything to look forward to in their lives: the prestige of the award, and also, later, the birth of their grandson. When Joe and Joan arrive in Stockholm, they are treated with reverence and are immediately introduced to the high society of intellectuals. While Joe starts to enjoy himself, his wife grows more distant. It is at this point that there are subtle signs emerging that there may be something wrong with the whole situation. It takes a great actor to portray subtle disquiet and concern of a character without giving the game away, and Glenn Close is more than up for the task. In some scenes, Close’s facial expressions speak volumes and she alone maintains the necessary intrigue. The story continues and praise pours on Joe, while he simply describes his wife as “the love of my life”. When Joe forgets the name of one of his characters in the book while having a conversation with his son and Joan, then there is this feeling that something is happening which should not.

Joan then starts to look back on her younger years when she was a budding writer, meeting a dashing young professor – Joe Castleman. We find out more about Joan, and all the evidence shows that she is a deeper and more intelligent person than first assumed. Was Joan realised as a person with her own unique talent? It is this precise question that poses one Nathanial Bone (Christian Slater), a nosey individual who wants to write a biography on Joe Castleman and his career. It is not long, therefore, before Joan talks to Nathanial, and her husband also finds himself in a company of a younger member of the opposite sex – his photographer.

The second part of The Wife is more mundane and even too sentimental in the presentation of the story, but this is also when we got to know “the truth”. The story is no longer so compelling, but, once again, it is the camera on Glenn Close which makes all the difference. Some may say that this film is a star-vehicle for Glenn Close, but there is more fire in the characterisation to say that this is correct. Some superb acting, characterisation and understated, well-paced direction all make the film a rather good watch. The film premise can be compared to the film Big Eyes (2014), while Jonathan Pryce’s performance as Joe Castleman is also good.

🥇 The Wife may not be the best film of 2018, but its quiet power is still undeniable and lies largely in the portrayal of its unassuming central character. Joan Castleman is a woman to re-establish herself, including in her own eyes, and the audience will be happy to follow that journey. This is because, even though the story may look like we have seen it all before, at the wheel remains Glenn Close, this year’s Academy Awards Best Actress nominee. Her brilliant, nuanced performance ensures that we will get the inner strength of the central character, as well as her desire for personal happiness, even if that happiness is contrasted with the happiness of that one person dearest to her.