CHLOE
(15, 96 mins)
Three stars
Starring Julianne Moore, Liam Neeson, Amanda Seyfried, Max Thieriot

Director Atom Egoyan probes the destructive power of obsession in this English language adaptation of Anne Fontaine’s 2003 film, Nathalie.

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Shot on location in wintry Toronto, which is almost as cold as some of the characters’ emotions, Chloe charts the sexual re-discovery of a despairing wife whose marriage has been stuck in a rut for years.

The method she chooses to reinvigorate her ailing relationship is unorthodox to say the least, unlocking deep-rooted desires that put not only herself, but also her entire family in danger.

Once scriptwriter Erin Cressida Wilson performs the sleight of hand that shifts the dynamics between characters in an alarming new direction, the film strays disappointingly into the realms of Fatal Attraction.

A lingering final shot – a counterpoint to the opening sequence of a young prostitute dressing herself for ‘business’ – provokes a wry smile, leaving us to contemplate the fate of each family member as they come to terms with their transgressions.

Successful gynaecologist Catherine (Moore) is fed up with the seemingly endless liaisons of her college professor husband, David (Neeson).

Unable to stop David’s roving eye, Catherine approaches sexy prostitute Chloe (Seyfried) with a curious proposition.

“My husband’s cheating on me, at least I think he is,” she informs Chloe. “I want to find out what he does if you present yourself to him.”

So, Catherine pays the young woman to seduce her man and report back on their amorous activities, delivering detailed verbal reports of every furtive glance and touch.

The wife persists with the plan, and is shocked and aroused by Chloe’s accounts of an encounter in a deserted greenhouse.

“We’ve taken this as far as I want this to go,” the wife tells Chloe, but the prostitute refuses to be discarded, developing an unsettling interest in Catherine’s teenage son, Michael (Thieriot).

For audiences who haven’t seen Fontaine’s original film, Chloe promises many sensual delights as the prostitute beguiles her married client with her torrid antics.

Moore cuts a pitiful figure as a career woman who barely speaks to her husband or son, and finds comfort in the intimacy that develops with Chloe.

Neeson remains on the periphery, and Thieriot perfectly embodies the truculence of a teenager rebelling against parental control.

Seyfried looks stunning, in and out of her clothes, but she seems a little too naive and fresh-faced to really make a living on her back.