Lines are crossed and friendships tested when friends Ben and Naomi grow closer together amid Ben's failed relationship and Naomi's problematic marriage.
Cheating Notes
IMDB Review
The most interesting character in the film is Naomi McQuicick, an aspiring actress who never seems to get cast in her auditions. Her husband Dennis has supported her "hobby" so that she does not have to worry about finances. Their relationship has hit a speed bump, but the communications are non-existent. It is never made clear whether Dennis has been unfaithful to Naomi. But it is crystal clear that Naomi is thinking of cheating on Dennis.
There is a revealing moment at the start of the film when Naomi makes eye contact with Ben. Both of the characters have a taken a stroll outside during a party. Ben left intentionally in the hope that he would see Naomi. The characters share an intimate moment of gazing at one another. That moment is the harbinger of things to come.
Ben's character is a true work of art. It is not clear if he is employed, and he resides in a somewhat shabby, motel-like apartment. He has recently ended a relationship and started a new one with a very nice woman he met in a bar. And they share a lot in common because they are both compulsive smokers!
A shortcoming of the film was the slow pacing and the inordinately lengthy musical interpolations. The languid scenes and lengthy musical segments came at the expense of exposition, character development, and drama. The overuse of the musical digressions gave this film an arc of stasis.
It is not clear what actually is the attraction between Naomi and Ben, other than pure animal instincts. Would Naomi risk leaving her marriage and a husband who seems to genuinely love her for the uncertainty of a life with Ben? The arc of this film is finally determined by the direction in which the cigarette smoke is wafting.
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