"The best description I've heard of I Want You is that it's a 'twisted
love story'," says producer Andrew Eaton. "We wanted the film to be about
the idea of intrigue and for the love story between the characters to unravel
as the film went along."
This visually powerful tale of passion, betrayal and violence is the
latest collaboration between Eaton and director Winterbottom (partners
in Revolution Films) and stars an impressive Rachel Weisz (Chain Reaction,
Stealing Beauty) as Helen, a young hairdresser living in a small coastal
town. Her life is turned upside down when her ex-boyfriend Martin (Alessandro
Nivola) is released from prison after nine years and returns to his home
town, obsessed by the only woman he has ever loved. Swept up into the dysfunctional
relationship between the beautiful Helen and her intense ex are two teenage
refugees, the mute 14-year-old Honda (Luka Petrusic) and his smouldering
older sister Smokey (Labina Mitevska). Smokey vainly attempts to seduce
Martin while Honda, in love with Helen, and a constant spy on her movements,
is drawn ever deeper into their world, and their final violent encounter.
I Want You is Winterbottom's fourth feature film, following on from
the success of Welcome to Sarajevo, which competed at Cannes 97, Butterfly
Kiss and Jude, which won best film at 1996's Edinburgh Festival. Written
by Eoin McNamee (Resurrection Man), I Want You is neither thriller nor
love story, but instead cleverly exploits its own ambivalence. "What we
want people to get out of the film is the feeling of curiosity," says Eaton.
"Even without a heavy plot, you become transfixed by these people. You
want to find out the mystery that draws them together." Hero Brown
Synopsis
In his new film, the title of which was inspired by an Elvis Costello
song, British director Michael Winterbottom (whose Butterfly Kiss was shown
at the festival in 1995), tells the story of an obsessive love. After eight
years in prison, Martin (Alessandro Nivola from Face/Off) returns to his
home town on the English coast and tries to contact his ex-girlfriend Helen
(Rachel Weisz). But she refuses to talk to him: a dark secret is overshadowing
their shared past. The dumb 14-year-old refugee boy Honda (Luka Petrusic)
is in love with Helen and together with his older sister Smokey (Labina
Mitevska), he is pulled deeper and deeper into the destructive maelstrom
of the relationship between Helen and Martin. Visually powerful, with camerawork
by Slawomir Idziak, DoP on such Krzysztof Kieslowski films as A Short Film
About Killing and Three Colours:Blue, Winterbottom's film is a psychological
profile of an erotic fixation which breaks all taboos and ends in murder.
(Dir): Michael Winterbottom. (Scr): Eoin McNamee (Cast): Rachel
Weisz, Alessandro Nivola, Luka Petrusic, Laniba Mitevska, Carmen Ejogo
(Running time): 87 Minutes
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