Wicker Park

I had no idea what I was in store for when seating for Wicker Park. I had not seen any trailers or propaganda for it at all. What I got was the biggest surprise of the year: a heart wrenching movie with incredible acting and a superb script.

Wicker Park is the story of Matthew’s, played by Josh Hartnett (40 Days and 40 Nights, Black Hawk Down), obsession with his ex-girlfriend, lisa, played by Diane Kruger (Troy). She’s the one that got away. He’s in a new relationship, with a new job, and new horizons, but he throws it all away to stalk his lost love. Through the movie, we learn that deceptions are piled onto deceptions on top of bold-faced lies, leaving Matthew to dig through the mire and find the truth.

The movie opens slowly, and I think it was about an hour into the film before I finally understood what was actually happening. Flashbacks occur as daydreams, and then reality snaps back into place. These flashback scenes are genius, in that it helps to enforce the complete confusion that surrounds Matthew as he works his way through the mystery of Lisa. Most of the movie is spent in flashback, as we learn how the characters came to where they are at the beginning of the movie. The characters are dynamic and change throughout the movie, each developing into a more likable character by the end of the film. Rose Byrne (Troy, Star Wars: Episode II), who plays Alex and Matthew Lillard (The Perfect Score, Scooby Doo Series), who plays Luke, exhibit near perfect performances in these roles.

Director Director Paul McGuigan masterfully uses the camera motion and the flashbacks to push the feelings of the characters into the hearts of the audience. Each flashback gives deeper insight into the motivations behind the characters. Like watching a rosebud open with time lapse photography, the entire story blooms before our eyes, and we see the beauty in it all. Brandon Boyce (Apt Pupil) adapts the script from an original film written by Gilles Mimouni.

I was completely blown away by the ending. If you haven’t seen it, don’t let anybody tell you how it ends. I was almost in tears, and that is all I have to say about that.