It’s 1992, Connecticut. Joan and Joe Castleman (Glenn Close and Jonathan Pryce) lie in bed unable to sleep, anxiously awaiting a phone call. Later, Joe goes up and down some sweets to calm his nerves because the Nobel Prize winners will be announced tomorrow. Awakened at dawn, they hear the news exactly as they dreamed it. In the following days there are celebrations, dinners and plans for the next trip to Sweden. We recognize how they complement each other, Joe is casual, vain and absent-minded while Joan is composed, elegant and modest.

After learning that he won the Nobel, Joe tells fans, “My wife is not a writer.” The comment irritates Joan, but she lets it slide. It is the window to the fraudulent association of her.

On the Concorde flight to Stockholm, the family is approached by a relentless Nathaniel Bone (Christian Slater) who is determined to write Joe’s biography, with or without his involvement. Joe rejects his pleas, uncomfortable with his intrusion. However, Joan advises a more diplomatic approach, a harbinger of things to come, when things started to fall apart.

In Stockholm, we see why the Castlemans don’t like a journalist intruding on their lives when Joe sets his sights on the beautiful young photographer (Karin Franz Korlof) assigned to document their stay. Joan notices this flirtation in the making, but she lets it slide. It has happened before. Interspersed flashbacks fill the gaps, flashing back to the 1960s when young Joe (Harry Lloyd) was a struggling married writer teaching creative writing at Smith College and Joan (Annie Starke) was his enthusiastic student displaying considerable talent. They have an affair, he leaves her wife to marry her. Soon, Joan abandons her ambitions and realizes that writing is a male-dominated game and that her talents are a threat to the self-esteem of the man she loves.

In preparation for the acceptance of the prize, attendees practice the ritual ceremony of bowing to the King, then to other prize winners, and finally to the audience. While Joe is doing his, he feels dizzy and has to be helped offstage. Was it nerves, guilt, or maybe a health problem?

You might think that the character of Nathaniel Bone is the antagonist of this story. However, as the story unfolds, he becomes the catalyst that unlocks the scars of a fraudulent life. In the revealing scene in the pub between Joan and Nathaniel, we feel how much recognition of him in Joe’s success has been overlooked. Joan sways and weaves, dodging Bone’s accusations, being the loyal and selfless wife, but underneath is the pent-up frustration of always giving and never getting in return. A superbly acted scene that has so many levels. It’s an escape scene, as he drinks too much, smokes, something he’s avoided for years, and almost spills the beans about the marriage.

Within this pub scene, there’s a revealing flashback that spills the beans and reveals the crux of their relationship. It is the open wound that festers in the climactic scene of the film. After Joan leaves the awards dinner, Joe follows her back to the hotel. Thirty years of marriage unravel as they unleash their pent up resentments and frustrations. As the truth comes to light, it becomes a catastrophic end to what at first seemed to be a happy and loving relationship.

Glenn Close’s standout performance is one of restraint, both concealing and revealing the confusion that lies beneath. It’s an onion-like layer presentation where we only see bits and pieces, but as they build up, we slowly get the whole picture. Playing the devoted wife, he must keep secrets from her, and in this extraordinary, riveting and complicated role, Glenn Close delivers the best performance of his career.

As the cantankerous and cocky old writer, Jonathan Pryce vividly portrays the needy, narcissistic husband with suspect writing skills. This is demonstrated when his son David (Max Irons) repeatedly asks for an evaluation of his book and again when Joe can’t remember the name of the main character in his most popular book. However, he has those moments when he appreciates and loves; where all must be forgiven.

Christian Slater plays smooth-talking journalist Nathaniel Bone, who seeks fame by doing a biography of Joe Castleman, especially now that he has won the Nobel Prize. This is a difficult role as he cleverly turns casual conversation into an impromptu interview to get material for his book. The scene of him with Close is the centerpiece of the story, as it reveals the depth of Joan’s resentment.

Jane Anderson’s script aptly applies screenwriting tools, namely foreshadowing, flashbacks, and well-placed plot points. The dialogue is crisp but packed with enough context to dive deeper into the characters. In this #MeToo era, the premise, that of careless respect, is the most relevant.

Bjorn Runge’s directing is direct, allowing the highly-skilled cast to do their thing. Since most of the story takes place inside the minds of the characters, it focuses on its emotional rather than informational content. To do this he uses a delicate balance of planes of action and reaction.

The production values ​​are top-notch and show off the pageantry of Stockholm and its Nobel Prize ceremony very well. Jocelyn Pook’s musical score keeps us emotionally invested, but leaves the outcome ambiguous. Editing and sound effects give us that “we’re there” feeling.

The Wife is an eye-opening emotional journey celebrating feminism and self-discovery.

While it screened at film festivals in 2017 (and was subsequently acquired for distribution), its release was rumored to have been pushed back to 2018 to give Glenn Close a better shot at an Oscar nomination. Young Joan is played by Glenn Close’s daughter, Annie Starke. Although set in Connecticut and Stockholm, most of the film was shot in Glasgow, Scotland.

CREDITS: “The Wife” stars Glenn Close, Jonathan Pryce, Christian Slater, Max Irons, Harry Lloyd, Annie Starke and Alix Wilton Regan. Director: Bjorne Runge, Writer: Jane Anderson (adapted from the novel by Meg Wolitzer), Producers: Claudia Bluemhuber, Meta Louise Foldager Sorensen, Rosalie Swedlin, Piers Tempest, Jo Bamford and Piodor Gustafsson, Editor: Lena Runge, Production Design: Mark Leese , Cinematographer: Ulf Brantas, Costume Designer: Trisha Biggar, Music: Jocelyn Pook, Song: “Let’s Fly Away” Written by Joe Lervold and Julius Robinson, Performed by Joel Evans Big Band with Patrick Tuzzolino. Production companies: Tempo Productions Limited, Anonymous Content, Meta Film, Silver Reel, Spark Film & TV. Distributor: Sony Picture Classics. Duration: 100 minutes.