A femme fatale explores the fierce and frightening reach of her sexual power – and the red hot fusion of money, power, and desire.

CRITIQUE

Vera (Neve Campbell) exposes her character to us, literally and metaphorically, in the very first shot of the film.  She stands in the shower, lovingly bathing herself, in front of a large, open window.  As the water flows over her, she begins to masturbate.  The narcissism of it all, this is an honest moment, a glimpse at Vera without the masks she puts on for the rest of the world.

The scene that follows is equally important.  Vera meets with Professor Hassan al-Ibrahim ben Rabinowitz (charmingly played by James Toback himself) in a kind of impromptu job interview.  As they walk along, the Professor clumsily tries to hit on Vera in a subtle way, as though his position alone would be enough to wow her into bed.  At the same time, Vera boldly picks up two men, getting their phone numbers when the Professor is distracted.  He has grossly underestimated Vera, and by the time he realizes that she is not what he thinks she is, she has won the first round.  We are left with the impression that he will try again at the next opportunity, Vera’s rejections only egging him on.  This film is loaded with these kinds of complex scenes.

Ford (Fred Weller) is set up at the same time, his first scene intercut with Vera’s interview.  Ford is a talker, a hustler, but a low grade one.  No matter how hard he tries or how fast he talks, there will always be holes in what he has to say.  When we meet him, he is encountered on the street by a woman he knew years before.  Not as smooth as he pictures himself, Ford is reduced to shouting it out with the woman before he simply walks away.  Shortly after, when he imposes himself upon rap mogul Damon Dash, Ford is given even less of a chance.  His line withers in a face of a more successful, more powerful hustler.

When Ford and Vera finally get together, we get the strongest, most complex scene in the film.  Ford underestimates Vera even more grossly than the Professor.  In a naïve attempt at dissecting Vera, Ford proves that he really knows nothing about her, and we see that he is totally out of his league.  “In a year or so,” he tells her, “not now, but down the road, you’ll be ready to try women.”  He says this without a clue that she was with a woman shortly before he arrived.  If Ford ever met the real Vera, he would probably never recognize her.  He pitches her on an encounter with Count Tommaso, an Italian media mogul.  Before he can even finish she cuts him off.  “Set it up,” she says.

Count Tommaso (Dominic Chianese, The Sopranos) is a man of the world, sophisticated, experienced.  A man of taste who has a wife, a mistress, and travels the world expanding his business.  He has become infatuated with Vera, and he is willing to pay for her company.  When they meet, we see that the Count has also underestimated Vera.  She is far more sophisticated than he was led to believe, and has little interest in the money he offers.

When Will I Be Loved is a film full of nuance, a minimalist masterpiece.  Toback handles the material well.  There is a sense of urgency to the film, which no doubt had something to do with the fact that the film was shot in only eleven days.  The performances are solid throughout, and the dialogue (which ranged from tightly scripted to totally improvised) is smart, sharp.  This film is a solid character study that is full of complicated characterizations and multi-layered scenes.  Little seen during its 2004 theatrical release, this is the perfect film to discover on DVD.

THE VIDEO

When Will I Be Loved is presented in the original 2.35:1 theatrical aspect ratio, and the transfer is spectacular.  The rich, warm cinematography is superbly transferred, and all color levels come through crisply.

THE AUDIO

This DVD is presented in English 5.1 Surround.  While not the most aurally taxing film of recent memory, the presentation is solid, and all levels come through crisply and without popping or distortion.

THE EXTRAS

Audio Commentary by James Toback: As commentary tracks go, Toback does the best.  He loves to talk, loves language and conversation, and has the ability to talk about his work as though it were made by someone else, to completely separate himself from it.  He details each scene to the letter: how it was shot, what was going on, the subtext of the scene, his thoughts on how it relates to the larger work.  Toback is an interesting man, and this track does not disappoint.

Scene Sexplorations with Neve Campbell and Director James Toback: Star and director take a closer look at four key scenes from the film.  They talk about filming them, the subtext of each scene, and the process by which they were created.

Theatrical Trailer: The original theatrical trailer.

FINAL THOUGHTS

When Will I Be Loved is a solid film from an interesting director, and it is a film that was too little scene last year.  Neve Campbell gives a brave performance that is unlike anything we have seen her do before now, and she pulls it off masterfully.  The features on this disc are detailed and interesting, particularly Toback’s commentary.