Take This Waltz

The time has come to move into a new flat — and this means one thing and one thing only: it’s time for clearance. It’s the time that everybody hates, it’s the time that you have to decide what to keep and what to throw away. I’m in front of my closet and I’m holding my favourite pair of jeans. The truth is that I’m not wearing them anymore, the colour has faded, they’re full of marks, but still I love them. Actually, I still remember the day that I bought them. I saved money to be able to buy them and I used to wear them all the time. But now they’re just an old pair of jeans just like so many others. Is this the excuse that I need to go and get a new pair?

As I was facing this dilemma, I realized that this was what Take This Waltz was all about. Obviously the film is talking about a more profound situation — but the main theme is exactly the same. How long does it take for people to get used to something new? Margot, played by Michelle Williams, is a writer married to Lou, played by Seth Rogen, who writes a cookery book about chicken. They seem to be happy, they definitely love each other but they are in a difficult situation. Either they need to decide to move forward, or they face the danger of feeling incomplete. After five years of marriage, Margot and Lou make up a couple perfectly choreographed. They still have their little rituals, their secret code of communication but something is missing. There is a moment in any marriage or in a long-term relationship where silence starts to rule. You start to wonder whether or not boredom has in fact kicked in.

On a trip to Luxembourg, Margot meets Daniel, played by Luke Kirby, an artist that lives right next door. They start flirting and soon enough they fall for each other. Confined by the barrier of marriage, neither is willing to cross the line — so touching, kissing or making love is out of question. At that point the movie presents one more intriguing issue: what constitutes infidelity. With one of the sexiest scenes I have ever seen without nudity, this movie manages extreme realism from the start. Take This Waltz combines hard reality with the fairy-tale.

Directed and written by Sarah Polley, this film keeps the viewer alert despite its slow rhythm. It raises questions that have definitely crossed the mind, making you consider what it really takes to accomplish a happy, long-lasting marriage. Take This Waltz is the kind of movie that surprises you. Simple, straightforward and very well written.