So, clearly if you've been reading at all, I have a love for strong, intelligent and clever actresses. Well it all started with Bonnie Bedelia. Though she may seem a slightly unorthodox choice, she was the first actress that I truly admired. I tried to go and see all of her films that I could find (a tradition which still continues with each new favorite). She is mostly known for playing Bruce Willis' wife in the first two Die Hard movies, but she is capable of much more than that. She has a gorgeously expressive face that conveys volumes and I could watch her all day long.
Bad Manners is a terrific film that I think me and maybe 3 other people saw. It's a Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf-esque four-hander about 2 couples facing off during several days: fueled by alcohol and repressed desire and armed with sharp dialogue (one of my favorites uttered by Ms. Bedelia: "and you use your self-pity - the way another man would use drink: to dredge up the shriveled sack of gall that passes for you as guts.")
Bonnie Bedelia plays Nancy who is married to Wes (David Strathairn). One of Nancy's college friends Matt (Saul Rubinek) comes to visit with his girlfriend Kim (Caroleen Feeney); and the sparks begin to fly. Nancy and Wes' marriage has lost some of its flair and the young and dangerous Kim may or may not have tempted Wes to adultery.
This scene takes place after Matt and Kim have left. It's a very simple and quite humorous chat between Nancy and Wes where Wes is describing the work he'd like to do in the backyard. They seem to really be hitting it off and Wes gives Nancy a little kiss - she is obviously touched and affected by the gesture, but it's clear that Wes is not...it's a devastating moment of realization on Bonnie's face that he no longer feels the sparks between them. You can really see the disconnect between the two in that final still.
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