Killing Me Softly (2003)
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A woman's life is upended after a chance encounter with a mysterious man leads her into a dangerous and obsessive relationship.
The story
Alice, a woman living in London, leads a stable life until a chance encounter with a mysterious stranger sparks an intense connection. After a passionate encounter, she finds herself unable to replicate that same spark with her steady boyfriend. She eventually seeks out the stranger, a mountain climber named Adam, and begins a whirlwind relationship with him. However, as their romance intensifies, Alice begins to notice unsettling inconsistencies in Adam's past and his behavior, leading her to question the safety of her new life and the true nature of the man she has chosen to be with.
Full plot (contains spoilers)
After meeting a mysterious stranger named Adam, a mountain climber, Alice leaves her stable life to be with him. They marry and move to a secluded cabin, but Alice becomes alarmed by mysterious letters and a report of a woman claiming Adam raped her. Upon investigating, she finds evidence of a missing woman named Adele and a hidden stash of letters. She realizes she is in danger and seeks help from Adam's sister, Deborah. Deborah reveals she sent the warnings to save Alice from Adam's violence. At a remote cabin, Alice discovers Adele's body. A confrontation ensues where Deborah tries to kill Alice, but Alice shoots her with a flare pistol. Adam is arrested, and two years later, Alice and Adam pass each other on an escalator, sharing a silent look before he walks away.
- First release year
- 2002
- Runtime (minutes)
- 100
- Production countries
- United States; United Kingdom
- Original languages
- English
- Directors
- Chen Kaige
- Writers
- Nicci French · writer; Kara Lindstrom · writer
- Cast and characters
- Heather Graham · Alice; Joseph Fiennes · Adam
- Genres
- erotic thriller
- Themes
- obsession; danger; identity
- Tone and mood
- tense; erotic
- Premise and plot tags
- mystery; romance; suspense
- Source material / true-story basis
- 1999 novel of the same name by Nicci French
- Reception
- The film was criticized as a 'painful failure' and a 'turgid erotic thriller' with 'ridiculous plot twists' and 'cringe-worthy dialogue'.
- Reported review scores
- Rotten Tomatoes · score: 0% · scale: percentage · review count: 21
- Production trivia
- It is Chen Kaige's only English-language film to date.; Heather Graham and Joseph Fiennes spent seven days in bed filming the sex scenes.; The film was originally intended for a wide US release in 2002 but was moved to direct-to-DVD.
Film metadata comes from the open sources listed in Credits & Contact. Catalogue details may be incomplete.
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