Own the rights?
John (Hargreaves), a self-centred, highly strung musician, is shattered when he learns that Helen (Hughes), to whom he had been married for ten years, is leaving him and taking their only daughter, after a string of extra-marital affairs with some of his closest acquaintances. This comes at a time when John is watching his father die a slow and agonising death in hospital. Genuine, heartfelt but obtrusive film, from some of Cox's own experiences, with classically flawed, indecisive characters and real human emotion. While it is difficult to objectively empathise with either John or Helen, comparisons to real-life situations, where compromise and tact are often lacking, are painfully obvious. Hargreaves is nothing short of brilliant in his depiction as a sulking shell of a man, slipping into a deep psychological depression as he fails to come to grips with a relatively common occurrence – in the western world, almost half of all marriages end in divorce, and sixty per cent of married people have affairs at some point. Not easy to watch (we are ‘treated' with graphic scenes of childbirth and delirium-inspired erotic dreams), it's a true study of human frailty, an impressive but daunting portrayal of married life, and dependence upon others. Interestingly, nominated twice for its cinematography at the 1984 AFI Awards.
You may report errors and omissions on this page to the IMDb database managers. They will be examined and if approved will be included in a future update. Clicking the 'Update' button will take you through a step-by-step process.
