A piece of art, no doubt about it. The cruel world of a twisted relationship, Love in its best form, delight, ecstatic, psychotic, and death. A final round of abundance, gone beyond belief. Superb performances by Jeremy Irons as usual and Julia Binouch. See it, fee it, recognize it. It's in us all...xx

A member of Parliament (Jeremy Irons) falls passionately in love with his son's fiancée despite the dangers of discovery.At the time of its release, the film achieved some acclaim. Miranda Richardson was nominated for an Academy Award and won a BAFTA in the category of Best Supporting Actress for her performance as the aggrieved wife of the film's main character. If anyone deserves to be singled out, it is Richardson.This film on its surface is not that amazing. You want it to be, because it is Louis Malle. But this is what happens when you cast Jeremy Irons. He is very understated, and his performances are art that may need to be digested, sometimes in multiple viewings. This is most evident in his work with Cronenberg, but very much here, too.

Extramarital affairs and politics often seem to go hand in hand. At least as far as movies and novels go. Sometimes, like in the Clinton scandal, you wonder: Why would a politician risk his lofty and respected (forgive the term) position in favor of a passionate, wild fling? It's probably the lure of immense power, wealth, and prestige. And after all, politicians ARE only human. Why do I bring this up, you might ask? Because DAMAGE is about an affair between a highly-revered parliament member and the always-alluring Juliette Binoche. Honestly, I fell in love with her back in the atrocious (and overrated) "The English Patient". Another bad film about an affair, by the way. Since then, I've been following her career. For her best roles, hunt down CHOCOLAT and the TROIS COLOURS (THREE COLORS) film series. This movie, in contrast, is probably not one she'd want to have listed. The main problem is the awkward chemistry between her and Jeremy Irons. For one thing, Mr. Irons plays his part very woodenly. And it doesn't help that he dresses... blah! And he's about as attractive as a toad. Are we seriously supposed to believe that Ms. Binoche would favor a fling with him over his dashing (and rich) son? Whom she's already agreed to marry, no less? Admittedly, the love scenes are ravishing. But it feels so odd, because it's obvious the actors don't have any real chemistry. And the ending is just as much a letdown as anything else. As a side note, I know I slammed Mr. Irons pretty hard in this review. I do like him as an actor, though. But he's way better as a villain (Scar in THE LION KING and Simon in "Die-hard With A Vengeance") than as a romantic lead.

Director Louis Malle's "Damage" is one of those rare films that has a story hidden within another story. The first plot is straightforward enough. Jeremy Irons plays an English politician Stephen Fleming who is miserable living a life where he conforms to the expectations of his lofty social status. He, therefore, sees his love affair with the mysterious Anna Barton (Juliette Binoche) as a liberating experience, where all his passions enjoy their fullest expression. At the same time, Fleming is still the product of his upbringing and tries unsuccessfully to revert back to the same social structures which he knew all his life. An added complication is that Anna eventually becomes engaged to Fleming's son for reasons that are not immediately apparent. As a result, Fleming gradually falls to pieces as tries to balance his ingrained aristocratic identity and keeping his family together with having a love affair.Yet within that plot is a more subtle story centred around Anna Barton. Malle's camera lingers upon Anna's face for long stretches of the movie, thereby making her enigmatic and enchanting at the same time. Who is this woman? Why is she having a love affair with her would-be father-in-law? What are the demons that lie within Anna Barton's soul? This film gradually answers these questions, but not in the straightforward manner which we expect. Anna tells Stephen about some of her troubling past, but she does not tell him everything. Later on there is a fascinating scene where Anna becomes distressed when her mother (played by Elizabeth Prideaux) compares her fiancée to her deceased brother. What was the cause of Anna's distress? I will not reveal the answers to these questions, except to say that I have developed my own theory on why Anna Barton behaves in the way that she does based on the events of the film.The great thing about Louis Malle's "Damage" are not only the great performances (ranging from Jeremy Irons and Juliette Binoche to Elizabeth Prideaux and Peter Stomare playing smaller roles), intelligent dialogue, and the genuine eroticism of the obsessive love scenes, but also the fact that its material challenges the intellect. This is not a movie which will be forgotten about by the next day. This film can inspire deep conversations about the characters, individual scenes, and the plot and lend itself to multiple interpretations. That's what makes "Damage" such a special film.