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Passion of mind

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Movie propaganda

A psychological romantic drama where fantasy and reality become indistinguishable for a woman leading a double life in her dreams. In a remarkable dual performance, Demi Moore plays Marie and Marty. Marie is a beautiful but lonely American widow living with two daughters in the south of France who creates an imaginary existence in her dreams. But is she really Marie or is she Marty, a glamorous New York career woman dreaming of a life in Provence? Reluctant to reveal their increasing confusion to the men in each of their lives (Stellan Skarsgård and William Fichtner), Marie and Marty must quickly discover which life is real and which a dream, before they both lose everything.

Also starring Matthew Beisner, Sinéad Cusack and Peter Regret. Written by Ron Bass and David Field, directed by Alain Berliner.

Cinematic intelligence sources

Passion of mind official movie site
Studios and distributors:

Hollywood Pictures

Intelligence analyst

Special Agent Matti

Theatrical report

Less than passion. The title suffers from delusions of grandeur because the movie is about a mere state of mind.

It also suffers from having Demi Moore, who has never been accused of having a measurable talent, in a role which requires her to seem like two different people. Marie and Marty are about as different as apple cake and apple pie.

I quickly realised that Passion of mind is what famous actors do when they don't have a decent movie to make. They get some time in front of the camera, they get paid and they get free meals from the caterers. Plus it fills in the time until something decent comes along. In Hollywood, you don't get work unless you're working. It's the whole hype thing that makes Hollywood churn out movie after movie without reference to quality.

It's not what you know, it's who you can name drop.

The premise is pretty good: which dream is real, the one when you're awake or the one when you're asleep? The problem is pretty bad: boredom. An attempt to introduce dramatic tension is made by having the men get jealous of each other, but two jealous men who will never meet does not for tension make. Alain's direction doesn't help, either, with a whole lot of not much happening in between periods of nothing happening. Passion of mind just doesn't get up enough speed to leave the ground (cf Woman on top which is so fast your feet never even touch the ground).

If Passion of mind was a book it would be a trashy romance novel that you take on your summer holiday because you know you won't have to think while you read it. And you can put it down every now and then while you go for a swim.

Whatever.