DVD/Stream of the Week: THE FACE OF LOVE: who is she really in love with?

Ed Harris and Annette Bening in THE FACE OF LOVE
Ed Harris and Annette Bening in THE FACE OF LOVE

Here’s an underrated 2014 romance that most of us didn’t get to see in theaters: The Face of Love.

Annette Bening plays a woman whose husband suddenly dies, and she is plunged into an immediate and harsh sense of loss.  She goes on with her life and then is surprised to meet a man who is attracted to her.  They begin to date and fast develop a serious bond.  Here’s the kicker – the new boyfriend looks EXACTLY like her late husband (both are played by Ed Harris).  You know that eventually he is going to find out, and that eventually her kids and friends are going to find out, and that people are going to think this is very weird.  Those characters – and the audience – will wonder whether she is in love with this new man – in love with the image of her husband.

As one would expect, Bening and Harris both give compelling performances.  The scene where the new guy asks her out on a date is especially fun.  The Face of Love is a worthwhile watch.

The Face of Love is available on DVD from Netflix and streaming from Amazon, iTunes, YouTube, Google Play and Xbox Video.

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