Match Point

Match Point (2005)

Written and Directed by: Woody Allen
Starring: Matthew Goode, Scarlett Johansson
Nominated for Best Original Screenplay

It’s the OG Gehraiyaan. After watching this film, I realized that Gehraiyaan was heavily influenced by this to a point where I don’t feel that good about Gehraiyaan anymore. Because all the major plot points are derivative, although what Gehraiyaan did better was to make us buy the affair. I never felt uncomfortable watching Gehraiyaan, but Match Point made me very uncomfortable. I remember watching these sex scenes as a kid and enjoying them, but now when I watch them in context, they made me mentally squirm. The way he lies to his wife’s face, when she has no clue if he loves her anymore or not. Especially because everything happens so fast. We see Chris falling in love, going on a date, making love, getting married and because Woody Allen’s films are generally so tight, it felt like life was happening very fast and then he meets Nola and he likes her, and all it takes is one moment of passion to forget everything behind.

All of the discomfort that the film makes you feel throughout, has a terrific pay off by the ending. Though Chris doesn’t get caught and doesn’t get punished, we get to see how a normal man could be capable of doing something extraordinary, when in difficult situations. The film is a beautiful warning that even if you come across someone as hot as Scarlett Johansson, the situations to deal with could be so out of control that you may end up discovering ugly parts of yourself, which probably never even existed. The conversation Chris has with a man on the bench, is a beautiful encapsulation of the moral dilemma of the whole film. I needed a fun Woody Allen film to watch, I didn’t sign up for this. I gotta watch another Woody Allen film to make up for this now.