secondtake Open Window (2006)A terrible attempt at high drama, and a noble attempt to get to something difficult. A young couple have just gotten engaged. The woman is then raped. This is shown briefly but the point is how they cope and adjust. Or not.And I imagine it's harder than you'd think. There are all kinds of interpersonal issues on both sides. The woman has the direct trauma, the nightmares, the wondering about intimacy. The man faces this from outside, has growing and gnawing empathy, and also struggles with intimacy. Things might just then fall apart--you'll have to see.In fact the two leads are rather good, Robin Tunney as a photographer's assistant and Joel Edgerton as the sincere fiancé. The girl's mom shows up in several scenes and I found her terrible--and was surprised it was Cybill Shepherd. It was partly her lines that were weak, or just a casting problem. The guy's dad shows up, too, and is decent but kind of expendable in terms of the main plot.Besides a bunch of directing and writing decisions that water the movie down, it has one quality that ruins it--the rape itself. I was relieved that it wasn't really shown--only very briefly at first, and that was awful enough. I even commented to my girlfriend how happy I was not to have to sit through the shock of that kind of scene. Then the movie keeps reliving it in more and more detail for the rest of the movie. So you never escape it. And it gets increasingly gruesome. And psychologically weird, which I know is possible but the mental twists aren't supported by the writing or the rest of the characterization.It's too bad, because the movie could have really focused on the relationship and their struggle to get past the horrible event. The move to sensationalizing it makes the whole move cheap and false.

mindcat This film I watched through just once. It tells the story of two young yuppies, who enter into life's vicissitudes, and how they begin to heal.Neither character seems entirely genuine and some are a tad over done, maybe boarding on unlikable.The essence is a young yuppie professional couple with far more money and privileges than most of us hit a snare when a random rapist, comes through Izzy's (Robin Turney) studio window and rapes her.It is never quite revealed why she refuses DNA testing and actually does not cooperate with the police in finding the rapist.Indeed, one could surmise, she has permitted the rapist yet another chance at rape of some other open windowed women. This makes thoughtful viewers wonder about her motives. Did she know the rapist? Was she simply a coward, feeling the rapist would make good on his threats and return to slay her if she told police the whole truth.Instead, she proceeds as a Princess would, and rejects all suggestions of how to heal. She later moves out on her distanced fiancé, Joel Edgarton.The meat of this drama is it attempts to be more profound than it actually is. It really is a brief window into the lives of a young couple, facing existential crisis.The end scene is strange and again shows the egotism of both. Neither can go on because neither wants to make any concessions to the other, to catalyze the healing process.The film actually isn't bad, just trivial.

bdunphy-2 This is a wonderful film. It is well crafted, beautifully written and sensitively shot. It deals with a topic that is difficult to view.The treatment of this violent subject is amazingly soft and thoughtful. It brought me to tears in it's simplicity. And I think it is this delicate treatment that is the strength of the piece. By carefully, tenderly working through the torment of the character and bringing her through to the other side we, as the audience are given a great gift--the gift of hope. I understand why there is such a groundswell of support for this film. It is a testament to all who have been through any trauma.

thaliangirl This was an odd movie to find playing on Showtime - seems very at odds with most of their programming and I don't remember a theatrical release. It is a quiet and powerful piece about the effect that a brutal rape has on a young couple and their immediate family.It seemed to be a very realistic portrayal of the aftermath of a rape and the performances by Robin Tunney and Joel Edgerton were exceptional. I read in one of the postings on the IMDb message board that it was based in part on a real experience in the director's life. That doesn't surprise me as this movie really seems to capture an emotional depth and honesty that is very hard to find in most movies nowadays. Very impressive.