Blind Date

Stanely Tucci directed and co-wrote this film. It is a remake of a Dutch film (whose director Theo van Gogh, a relation to the famous artist, was killed but had planned on English language remakes of several of his films).

The story takes place in a European style cabaret (with a scene in an attached ballroom and two in the cabaret's bathroom). Don (Tucci) is trying to repair his marriage after he and his wife Janna (Patricia Clarkson) have been unable to move past the grief of the death of their little daughter, which they probably blame themselves for (due to a car accident).

Don and Janna pretend to play new personas as strangers as they take out personal ads for each other, working out their grief with sadness, anger, confusion, blame.

We see Janna is unable to cope and Don has tried to force her to meet his desires and empathize with his side of the situation. Their history is shown to us in little pieces as they pretend to be a reporter interviewing the other, a dancer wanting a partner, a doctor and patient, etc.  They pretend not to know each other's real or imagined pasts, but their conversations, especially Janna's, show their pain and loneliness and refers to aspects of their lives.

These interludes are almost little vignettes as through the personas they playact out their emotions.  Some work better than others in acting style and in revealing the characters' pain.  The film is almost like a stage play since most of the story takes place in this cabaret and its side rooms.  While it may be a bit slow moving or perhaps confusing to some who may have not read a synopsis beforehand, the emotions on display feel real--confused, angry, messy, unresolved.