Acclaimed French director Patrice Chereau follows up the elegiac Those Who Love Me Can Take The Train with this provocative adaptation of Hanif Kureishi's novel about a passionate, self-destructive relationship. It's a bold endeavour, frequently uncomfortable to watch, fuelled by powerhouse performances from Mark Rylance and Kerry Fox. The film's artistic merits and a strong showing at this year's Berlin Film Festival, where the pic collected Golden Bear for best film, the Silver Bear for actress Kerry Fox and the Blue Angel for director Chereau, are likely to be overshadowed by the tabloid furore surrounding Intimacy's frank and explicit depictions of sex. It's a great pity, because there is so much more to the film than the stylish couplings of the two leads. Jay (Rylance) and Claire (Fox) are strangers who engage in a series of trysts, on the understanding that their relationship is sex and nothing more. No ties, no complications. Unfortunately, Jay yearns for more, and he follows Claire home after one of their meetings, discovering that she has a husband and child. The tug-of-war between physical and emotional intimacy gradually tears the couple apart.<\/p>\n <\/div>\n\n <\/div>\n<\/div>","fnc":"googleTrackerHelper.doTrackPage( '\/'Intimacy-film_options~20132'\/Reviews\/ViewAll\/1' );"}