Stars: Daniel Craig, Samantha Morton, Rhys Ifans, Alexandra Aitken, Susan Lynch, Bill Nighy

Director: Roger Michell

Summary: Joe and Claire are enjoying a romantic picnic when they notice a hot air balloon in considerable distress. Together with a group of onlookers, Joe rushes to its aid. A sudden gust of wind places the rescuers in danger however, and, as it is sent skywards, a man is left dangling from the balloon before plunging to his death. While Joe is left physically unscathed, the damage to his psyche seems irreparable. Based on the novel by Ian McEwan.

While enjoying a romantic picnic in the English countryside, Joe (Daniel Craig) and Claire (Samantha Morton) become party to a tragic accident involving a hot air balloon. Haunted by the incident, and guilt-stricken that he wasn't able to do more, Joe begins to distance himself from Claire. But more disturbing is the behaviour of Jed (Rhys Ifans), another stranger who lent a hand during the accident and begins stalking Joe. At first, Joe thinks that Jed is just suffering from posttraumatic stress and needs to talk about what they've been through together. But with each encounter, as Jed admonishes Joe to let go and admit his feelings, Joe feels more and more uneasy, confused and irritated. This psychological thriller from director Roger Michell (NOTTING HILL) explores how one experience can affect many people in different ways while also examining the subtleties of love and relationships. Craig is superb as Joe, a natural-born leader and rational college professor whose life is turned upside down both by his inability to prevent the accident, and by his interactions with Jed. Ifans is super creepy as the disturbed stalker, a far cry from his turn as the loveable goof Spike in NOTTING HILL.

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Reviewed by: philreyn
Posted on February 6, 2006 1:27 PM

Looking at the cast and production crew involved, I was expecting to see a very good British movie, with a few twists thrown in to keep us on the edge.
Sadly, this was not the case. The story moves along at a steady pace, but there's not a lot to it.
The trailers suggest a "Fatal Attraction" type plot with the main character being forced to use extreme measures to deal with an unbalanced stalker.
This film may well be enjoyed by some, but without giving away too much on the ending, it left me wanting.

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A red hot-air balloon floating gracefully over the green English countryside leads to a shocking death in Enduring Love, an eerie and hypnotic movie based on a novel by Ian McEwan. Two men tried and failed to help, and afterwards Joe (Daniel Craig, Sylvia, The Mother) finds himself being stalked by the hungry-eyed Jed (Rhys Ifans, Vanity Fair, Human Nature). Like a gangly wraith, Jed follows Joe and begs him to recognize the passionate love Jed feels certain was sparked by the balloon accident. Jed's obsession crawls into Joe's head and his life, clawing at his happy relationship with his girlfriend Claire (Samantha Morton, Morvern Callar, Minority Report) and derailing Joe into an obsessive spiral of his own. Enduring Lovebuilds the taut delirium of a Hitchcock movie. Ifans, best known for his comic performances, curls his tall frame into a seemingly helpless but creepily aggressive shuffle; the haunted eyes of Craig and Morton make the crumbling of their relationship as suspenseful as Jed's stalking. Director Roger Michell (Notting Hill, Persuasion) uses fresh, jarring images and sinuous visual rhythms to craft a tight thriller with unsettling emotional layers. --Bret Fetzer

Aspect Ratio:	16:9 Wide Screen
Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Directors Commentary, Audio Description, Burst Short Film, Balloon Featurette, The Actors Story Featurette, The Film And Novel Featurette, Deleted Scenes, Trailer, TV Spots
Year:	2004
Release Date:	April 11, 2005
Runtime:	96 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	P 915001000
Keywords:	Love, General, Drama, Enduring
Genre:	Drama