The Rules Of Attraction

I read the book by Brett Easton Ellis some years ago. I enjoyed it because in some ways it reminded me of the social scene I lived in at the time, albeit in a different culture and with the volume turned up to 11 (IYSWIM); and also just because it was a well-written book telling an engaging story.

This evening LNR and I went to see the film of it. I'd seen a review a while ago but largely forgotten about it, and similarly lacked more than fragmentary memories of the book.

I should warn that the film doesn't pull its punches. There are two or three scenes that could really disturb some people, depending what their buttons are.

The split-screen effect was well used, for various purposes: contrast, fantasy, multiple viewpoints, and for a cute technical trick (you'll see what I mean if you watch it - I don't want to spoil it). The other main technical measure was a little over-used but nonetheless effective in places.

I remembered one of the important plot points from the book, which resulted in its treatment in the film seeming subtle and clever up til the point where it was explained for everyone who didn't know in advance what to expect, and that part felt heavy-handed. Probably inevitable under the circumstances.

The film is supposed to follow the relationships between three characters - Lauren, Paul and Sean - but Sean stands out as the most complete character (and not coincidentally most flawed person) of the three of them. I know that some people think voiceovers for character thoughts is lazy story-telling, but IMO it worked here.

This is more a collection of random thoughts than a review, but in conclusion, I enjoyed this film, and recommend it.