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This is the kind of film that requires a leap on the part of the viewer. Preconceived ideas of reality truly need to be left at the door when watching this imaginative and original film. True romantics will be able to make this leap with greater ease, as this film is first and foremost a romance… or two. To explain, Marie (Moore) is a book reviewer and a single mother of two girls living in a picturesque rural area of southern France. Martie (also Moore) is a high powered business woman living, single and alone, in Manhattan. The two women are essentially the same person, both aware of each other, and confused as to which of them is real and which is a dream. When one woman is asleep the other is awake and vice versa. In both lives she has friends that think she is a little kooky. The film tries to take us along the journey that both Martie and Marie must travel in order to find the truth. Psychologists in both lives try to help her, but both of their efforts are in vain.

The twist in this film happens when she falls in love, in each life, with different men. Both men (Skaarsgard and Fichtner) offer her comfort and support and become aware of her situation. I will not give anything away at all, but these men are the catalyst to her discovery. The romances are both convincing to her and to the viewer, and that is the success of this film. We are just as in the dark as she is.

The direction is smooth, calm and very well paced. The cinematography is supremely beautiful and the score that accompanies the film is haunting and perfect for this kind of story. Everything is done with an eye for detail and does not suggest that this is a film that failed at the box office. Demi Moore has really made some poor choices in her recent selection of roles… but this film is a triumph for her. Oscar should at least consider her in this tricky performance.

I concede that some of the dialogue is infantile, but we must remember that this is a fable, not a biography. Tarantin-esque conversations would not suit this film. Also, the middle third of the film lags in parts, but if survived, it will be well worth the wait.

Passion of Mind is the type of movie you should watch with your heart rather than your brain, and if you do that, I suspect that you will love the premise, love the story, and fall asleep, the night you watch it, feeling good.

© Written by TC Candler

How We Rated This Film TC Candler - A- Richard Propes - C- Jacob Hall -

Richard Propes' Comment

I am heart-ruled. Heck, sometimes I wonder if I even have a brain. Unfortunately, in "Passion of Mind" I found little to connect with throughout the film. Demi Moore is utterly unconvincing in pulling off both roles, and she's surrounded by men who constantly seem to be insincere. The script is convoluted, the resolution neat and tidy and, well, too simple for a film that has tried to be complex.

Jacob Hall's Comment

n/a