"Killing Me Softly" Review

Killing Me Softly is a passionate story about a woman, Alice, who leaves her safe, somewhat boring boyfriend for a mysterious, sexy mountain climber. They hastily get married after only a short time of dating and Alice soon realizes how little she knows about her new husband. It is a love story/murder mystery combination that comes with a crazy twist ending. A great deal of focus is put on the passionate sex between the couple and the submissive role Alice plays in comparison to her husband Adam.

I enjoy watching Joseph Fiennes, and this was a great performance from him. He nails the role of a strong, threateningly mysterious man while simultaneously portraying a man who's hopelessly in love. Heather Graham always seems to play the role of the somewhat-naive woman who somehow manages to be half-naked during the film. I found her character frustrating throughout the film because she seems to harp on the same bit of evidence that doesn't end up having much relevance. While the film focuses on the strong separation between Alice's role as a "flatlander" and Adam's role as a heroic mountain climber, this separation seems to be compensated for by their intense sex life and inexplicable connection. Adam is very concerned whether or not Alice trusts him, while she sneaks behind his back reading his private letters and arranging meetings with people from his past.

I was on board with the movie until it got towards the end. The more Alice snoops in Adam's past, the more she convinces herself that he is a murderer and possible rapist. She lets herself become frightened by him so much that she runs away from him even though he openly told her he had nothing to hide, would tell her anything she wanted to know, and would stop in the middle of sex if she asked him. The framing story served well to strike a bit of fear and anxiety in the viewer, but I only became increasingly frustrated with Alice because she continues her meddling and suspicion after authorities ease her mind and she sees Adam sick with worry about her well-being. After the framing story came full circle, I quickly got frustrated with Alice's character to the point where I didn't care about her well-being, even though she was the protagonist. I found myself hoping there would be some kind of twist ending that would make the movie worth watching, and I was relieved to find myself actually surprised at the unpredictable ending to the murder mystery. However, while I was satisfied with the murder mystery in Killing Me Softly, I was left wanting more with the love story. Adam and Alice were built up as having an inexplicable connection brought on by a combination of incredible sex and love at first sight. But after an extremely traumatic event that leaves the two of them scarred but alive, their relationship part of the film seems to be dropped. What was emphasized as so critical to the film ended up seeming like a phase in Alice's life that came, left its impact, and left just like any other relationship. I found this very disappointing and felt unsatisfied with the lack of continuity and conclusion in their relationship.