If like me you often enjoy watching a movie just to see the artistry of the actors, then this is a movie to watch. No impressive action and effects, or a particularly original story. Just reality...and a sober, painful one at times. The actors/actresses dragged me into it without me noticing. Of course the fact that one of these artists happens to be one of the most beautiful women alive, makes it even more worth seeing! I had seen Clair Forlani previously in Joe black and was impressed by her beauty and charm, but in this movie she has more space and shows how deeper her acting can go and impressed me even more. I agree with one of the other comments on this movie: unless you are a action or adrenaline junkie, this film is definitely worth watching.
20 Reviews
A movie for people who like good acting and some nice dialogs, but don't need any action shots
philip_vanderveken26 April 2005
Before starting to write this review I saw that this movie got a pretty bad score (6/10 at the time) and I really don't understand why that is. Perhaps it's not the greatest movie of all times, but it sure deserves a lot better than the actual rating. But I guess I know why it isn't such a popular movie: there aren't any action scenes, no fast cars, no big explosions... only a couple of people in their late twenties, early thirties who try to deal with their lives and relationships...
Two men who have been friends since childhood have grown up, doing everything together their entire lives. When they go to college, they meet a young woman who works at the local bar. One of them falls in love and starts a relationship with her, while the other one claims that she isn't his type. But it's clear that between the two their is some kind of chemistry and after several failed relationships and a bad marriage, the other one starts an affair with his best friends wife...
As I already said earlier in this review: this isn't a movie for people who want to see a lot of car chases or other action scenes. This is a movie for people who enjoy movies with some good dialogs and some nice acting, people who are used to watch independent or foreign movies. I'm one of those people and I was pleasantly surprised by this one. That's why I give it a 7.5/10.
Two men who have been friends since childhood have grown up, doing everything together their entire lives. When they go to college, they meet a young woman who works at the local bar. One of them falls in love and starts a relationship with her, while the other one claims that she isn't his type. But it's clear that between the two their is some kind of chemistry and after several failed relationships and a bad marriage, the other one starts an affair with his best friends wife...
As I already said earlier in this review: this isn't a movie for people who want to see a lot of car chases or other action scenes. This is a movie for people who enjoy movies with some good dialogs and some nice acting, people who are used to watch independent or foreign movies. I'm one of those people and I was pleasantly surprised by this one. That's why I give it a 7.5/10.
Bergmanesque Melodrama
lavatch4 January 2023
Warning: Spoilers
There is a critical moment in "Into My Heart" when Ben laments to his best friend Adam that in his marriage he misses the electric moments of romantic love that he recalls when he first met Kat. Adam's response is that in his own marriage to Nina, he has discovered new levels of a relationship that has blossomed in different areas of fulfillment.
Unfortunately for Adam, his wife Nina did not feel the same way about those new levels. She is the instigator in an affair with Ben. And she gives away her infidelity when Adam hears Nina calling out Ben's name in her sleep!!!
This leisurely paced him had the touch of protracted and intense relationships of an Ingmar Bergman film. Many of the scenes were long conversations between the two couples Adam and Nina; Ben and Kat. In the intensity of the adultery, there was an operatic quality. Throughout the ordeal, the bonding of the two childhood friends was especially convincing. For that reason, it was surprising that Ben would betray not only his wife, but his best friend.
As one astute reviewer on this site pointed out, from the shattering experience of the suicide of the vulnerable Adam, the two women have a remarkably swift recovery while the two men were never the same. Within five years, Kat is about to marry a man after she dumped Ben. And Nina has met a nice man in London, and they now have a child.
When Nina accidentally bumps into Ben on a return trip to New York, there is no mention at all of Adam. She has not only proceeded to a new relationship, but still wants to be friends with Ben, informing him that on her next trip to New York, she will give him a friendly call! Ben still appears to be living in a haze, and poor Adam is hopefully resting in peace.
Unfortunately for Adam, his wife Nina did not feel the same way about those new levels. She is the instigator in an affair with Ben. And she gives away her infidelity when Adam hears Nina calling out Ben's name in her sleep!!!
This leisurely paced him had the touch of protracted and intense relationships of an Ingmar Bergman film. Many of the scenes were long conversations between the two couples Adam and Nina; Ben and Kat. In the intensity of the adultery, there was an operatic quality. Throughout the ordeal, the bonding of the two childhood friends was especially convincing. For that reason, it was surprising that Ben would betray not only his wife, but his best friend.
As one astute reviewer on this site pointed out, from the shattering experience of the suicide of the vulnerable Adam, the two women have a remarkably swift recovery while the two men were never the same. Within five years, Kat is about to marry a man after she dumped Ben. And Nina has met a nice man in London, and they now have a child.
When Nina accidentally bumps into Ben on a return trip to New York, there is no mention at all of Adam. She has not only proceeded to a new relationship, but still wants to be friends with Ben, informing him that on her next trip to New York, she will give him a friendly call! Ben still appears to be living in a haze, and poor Adam is hopefully resting in peace.
Great dialogue and a story that is thought provoking as to why we behave as we do.
Yoly-230 April 2000
The dialogue in this film is outstanding, and the male characters are representative of a wonderful relationship between friends. It also speaks of how difficult it is for some young adults in their late 20's and early 30's to leave their childhoods behind. How good people who love each other can hurt one another. I truly enjoyed this film, and it left me thinking about the characters and their lives. They were so very real and representative of many of us that I continue to wonder why we behave as we do.
Acting Great, Script Weak
lamont-hard9 May 2023
Warning: Spoilers
The writer seemed to leave out info to help us get really into the intentions of it's characters. Their affair seemed to be initiated without roots to why they preferred each other over who they were married to.
If you are to care for the adulterers you have to believe the spouses aren't right for them, Yet we see that they were loyal and sincerely loving partners.
At about the halfway mark the film started to go in the direction of the cheating wife starts to sense that Ben was not what she wanted as she picked up on the differences between the two men By her husbands actions. This is evident after she realizes he commited suicide and did not just fall.
I got mixed up on the message the film was trying to make. On all the true bonding and friendship the husbands had for each other it changes to one cared less about the other.
If you are to care for the adulterers you have to believe the spouses aren't right for them, Yet we see that they were loyal and sincerely loving partners.
At about the halfway mark the film started to go in the direction of the cheating wife starts to sense that Ben was not what she wanted as she picked up on the differences between the two men By her husbands actions. This is evident after she realizes he commited suicide and did not just fall.
I got mixed up on the message the film was trying to make. On all the true bonding and friendship the husbands had for each other it changes to one cared less about the other.
... w-best-mates like this chap
bjarias14 July 2021
read the plot and leave it at that. The movie won't tell you anymore.
swisstohaku19 February 2006
It's not that I would mind a good movie about relationships. But to be good it has to tell me something about human nature that I haven't seen or thought about. Or tells it to me in a fashion that shows an interesting twist or point of view about the subject; be it love or illness or death or friendship or what have you that moves humans. But this movie just has nothing to say about any of this, except that it does happen. Nowhere are we given any reason as to why people act the way they do. The characters are portrayed over a pretty long period of their lives, which take some quite big turns. Not only are we not given their motives for the paths they take, but it also seems that the characters themselves don't really reflect on what happens. It just does and did. That's life. Oh well, let's move on to the next scene.
An investigation of human behavior and moral relativism, as a young man falls in love with his best friend's wife.
MaratSade3 November 2006
I loved this film. It deserves and demands a truly attentive viewing,and rewards that attention with a wealth of insight, nuance, and moments of emotion so striking and realistic they're almost heartbreaking to watch. The acting and dialog is absolutely first rate, and the chilly feel evoked by the unblinking location shooting in Manhattan and The Berkshires brilliantly underscores the film's themes of love, envy and betrayal. It's hard to believe how this missed being a bigger film. Much more ballyhooed projects have tackled similar themes far less adeptly.
Into My Heart is an overlooked gem, brimming with sincerity; It touches your heart and mind in subtle, sometimes unnerving ways, and lingers long after the final credits. Film lovers should put this one on their must see list.
Into My Heart is an overlooked gem, brimming with sincerity; It touches your heart and mind in subtle, sometimes unnerving ways, and lingers long after the final credits. Film lovers should put this one on their must see list.
If you want to save time, watch the trailer! (DVD)
leplatypus5 February 2005
For me, this bar scene is the most enjoyable moment of the movie. Otherwise be ready for 90 minutes of boring dialogs, sad locations, strange frames and an empty story.
Even though all the cast is pretty good and the plot appealing (a drama of cheating between longtime friends), unfortunately, they are helpless to save the movie.
What you see is actually characters talking about their past, with dialogs beginning with "Do you remember" or "Whats's going on". OK, the two friends are so closed since childhood that this past means a lot in their adult life.
But, a movie is by nature visual, catching what happens in front of the camera. When there are only abusive close ups of endless speeches, you don't got anything.
It would have been a better choice to shoot all those past stories instead of hearing them.
In conclusion, movies have their rules. Don't apply them and the audience will leave.
Even though all the cast is pretty good and the plot appealing (a drama of cheating between longtime friends), unfortunately, they are helpless to save the movie.
What you see is actually characters talking about their past, with dialogs beginning with "Do you remember" or "Whats's going on". OK, the two friends are so closed since childhood that this past means a lot in their adult life.
But, a movie is by nature visual, catching what happens in front of the camera. When there are only abusive close ups of endless speeches, you don't got anything.
It would have been a better choice to shoot all those past stories instead of hearing them.
In conclusion, movies have their rules. Don't apply them and the audience will leave.
Fascinating, realistic, and very sad.
disasterplain30 May 2007
Warning: Spoilers
I like this movie a lot. The acting was excellent, and the dialogue was spot on and realistic, not tritely on the nose expositional as so many films. The emotions were also beautifully conveyed by the actors with expressions and gestures as well. The scene where Adam's realization is made clear is heartbreaking, and the backward way in which the narrative unfolds is artfully accomplished. I just saw this in Europe, and can't understand why it did not receive a wider release here. The music, by Michael Small is truly beautiful, the acoustic guitar perfect for the emotions conveyed and the pastoral Berkshires locations. Definitely worth seeing.
boring and reactionary -- two brothers, one woman
naxash5 October 1999
Not only is the story of two brothers who love the same woman extremely boring, it is also very reactionary: the film basically sez that women ruin men's lives, it also sez "thou shalt not go to bed with your brother's wife"... certainly, a good piece of advice, but sit two hours in the cinema just to hear that? .... it's like the moralistic ending of _Cruel intentions_ blown up into a whole movie! beware! why do some film makers like Robert Zemeckis (_Contact_)or Smith and Stark fail to realize that the audience consists of intelligent human beings?
Liked this movie alot, especially guitar solo is wonderful and make you concentrate on movie.
namernet24 February 2000
Ben & Adam Babyhood friends is driving to a bar in the beginning of the movie. In the bar Adam falls in love with waitress-Nina and everything starts. First Ben didn't like her but then he fell in love with her and the movie slowly turns into a dramatic movie but I must add that without the guitar solo's that impressed the audience, this movie would have been absolutely an ordinary love story and tragedy mixture.
Also cast is performing perfect.
Also cast is performing perfect.
Does not really know where to go
Starbuck-1313 April 2001
I watched this one only for a single reason: Claire Forlani. She is so beautiful that I can't express it with words (and I couldn't in German as well, so it's not a genuine language problem).
In this movie, she is married to a writer and his best friend somehow falls in love with her - well, seeing her in her full beauty makes this biggest of loyalty breaches understandable in my book.
But the director seems to see the act of cheating as the ultimate sin. I don't want to spoil too much here, not that there would be too much to spoil anyway, but I really felt that the moral index finger of the film makers was too much to swallow. Okay, it's nothing a friend should do to cheat on his best friend with his wife - but hey, feelings sometimes make us do things that are not really clever, but still that's what feelings are there for in a way... and since it always takes two persons to cheat on a third one, I really could not understand what this movie wanted to express in the end.
Drama? Yes. Romance? A little. Relevance? None at all. That is except for watching Claire Forlani looking like an angel - again.
In this movie, she is married to a writer and his best friend somehow falls in love with her - well, seeing her in her full beauty makes this biggest of loyalty breaches understandable in my book.
But the director seems to see the act of cheating as the ultimate sin. I don't want to spoil too much here, not that there would be too much to spoil anyway, but I really felt that the moral index finger of the film makers was too much to swallow. Okay, it's nothing a friend should do to cheat on his best friend with his wife - but hey, feelings sometimes make us do things that are not really clever, but still that's what feelings are there for in a way... and since it always takes two persons to cheat on a third one, I really could not understand what this movie wanted to express in the end.
Drama? Yes. Romance? A little. Relevance? None at all. That is except for watching Claire Forlani looking like an angel - again.
A love triangle with a shattering twist
orcarisesatdusk12 February 2009
Into my Heart is both moving and thought provoking. Th characters are excellently drawn and realized. The film considers hypocrisy and moral uncertainties in a very mature way. Chilly late fall locations and a beautiful score by Michael Small underline the subtly of the excellent dialogue, and the emotional fragility of the leads. This is a film that will not be appreciated by anyone looking for pat, Manichean answers to what are very complex situations. Jayne Brooke's performance as Kat stands out for its nuanced brilliance. In a way, she is the audience's proxy, attempting to parse the complexities of the other three's long standing connections. A must see for anyone interested in human relationships.
See this movie!!
cdexter114 April 2000
I'm not going to reveal the plot, but you can figure it out yourself after the first five minutes. This shouldn't stop you from seeing the movie, though, because you will still be on the edge of your seat rooting for the characters, whom you will come to know and be passionately involved with in the course of the movie. The acting is uniformly excellent and completely seamless; you get so involved with the character you feel you actually are there with them living their lives, and you forget that you are only watching them on the screen. The actors can't take all the credit, because the dialog is realistic to the point of being slightly uncomfortable to watch. I can't say whether it is the acting, the directing or the screenplay that deserves the credit here, but you could also say the same for American Beauty.
I am writing this two days after having seen the movie and I still somehow feel that everything that happened in the movie also happened in my own life. Can you really expect any more from a movie?
I am writing this two days after having seen the movie and I still somehow feel that everything that happened in the movie also happened in my own life. Can you really expect any more from a movie?
Great!
altobelli523 February 2002
Wonderful performances by all four leads (Fornlani, Morrow, Weber and Brook) and a terrific screenplay add up to very good indie-type film about relationships in the 90s. See it, if you're NOT just an action-junkie!
All too real plot...But excellent story
graceoverpressuretheoneANDonly1 December 2021
Very good human drama of love, insecurity, betrayal, renewal...Claire Forlani and Rob Morrow are respectively, fine actors. The plot, unfortunately, was more common than I wish to admit. Fast, long time friends and the unexplainable chemistry and attraction that can occur without planning, motive or intention. The fact that Adam had lost an eye to his buddy through a sheer accident started an element of insecurity between buddies. Couple that with each finding a love - one more sincere than perhaps the other - and eventual mixed if not undeniable attraction, led to utter pain, betrayal and great heartache. Acting was very good; plot was totally REAL. A little slow; as many of these types of dramas tend to be unnecessarily to my way of thinking. STILL, good movie if not sad - if not truly poignant...Coming "full circle" with one's self and fallibility is a hard, hard "road to hoe" for any of us. Rather familiar I'm afraid but meaningful and a forever life lesson in friendship, love and loyalty.
Engrossing drama without the dramatics
freebalance24 October 2020
Absolutely loved the movie. It's a vivid portrayal and study of human behavior with its temptations and failures. The fabulous nuanced acting, the artistic direction, the intelligent script writing and beautiful cinematography are well connected and gently merged together to leave the viewers with a haunting feeling of emptiness and longing for its characters. This realistic movie is a drama without the dramatics.
If you like indie movies with gentle, simple subject then this movie will stay in your memory. It's not a movie for people who like action, sci-fi or big budget films.
Good relationship type film
Ice Tea24 August 1999
Intense, well-executed drama
rich-fouts25 September 2019
Warning: Spoilers
I'm a big Jake Weber fan, hence decided to watch this film. Weber plays Adam, a successful writer who still hangs out with his childhood friend, Ben (Rob Morrow). The two have known each other since they were toddlers - and due to an unfortunate July 4th incident, Adam is blind in one eye. Even though it's alluded to be Ben's fault, Adam writes it off as an accident and has never blamed his childhood buddy. Ben however, has never really gotten past it. Fast forward to college, and Adam meets the lovely Nina (Claire Forlani).
The two marry, but Ben and Adam pretty much remain joined at the hip. It's a story of people who cling to their childhoods as a way of keeping memories, good and bad, front and center. We've all had friends like that. The future doesn't seem to be going their way, and they try to find answers in their past life which seemed to make sense, even if it wasn't always perfect. When the answers don't come, mistakes are made.
The result is a classic "guy has an affair with his best friend's wife" story, but wonderfully executed as if we're riding down one of those lazy, winding rivers that occasionally hits a bump. It's also a story of privilege (the two go to Columbia University, Ben to Stanford Law School). Though the story takes place over several years, all scenes occur in the dead of winter. The cold temperatures and gray skies set a somber tone throughout. Cinematographer Michael F. Barrow certainly earns his salary in this film (through consistently beautiful shots of New England winters).
It's a sophisticated approach to storytelling, and I appreciate how the directors, (Sean Smith and Anthony Stark) let you connect the dots on your own with their subtle choices. No dialog is used to tell us that Adam knows his wife and friend are sleeping together. Jayne Brook also convinces us that she knows what's going on, but doesn't confront her husband until an awkward moment in a grocery store. But her face, behavior and tone tell us she's aware that her husband is slipping away.
A gorgeous sound track by Michael Small (who composed the sound track for Marathon Man) complements the film. When Ben asks Kat if she wants to leave, Brook delivers a stunning response. She has always been a loving wife, very composed and reasonable. When her husband's infidelity comes out, Brook explodes in a very convincing, authentic, honest performance. You can't help but be on her side.
It's not really clear why Ben and his friend's wife fall in love. It feels more like a fling gone bad. I suppose the directors intent was to show that these things are unplanned, never meant to happen, and are nothing more than mistakes. It's almost as if Ben and Nina are a bit bored with their predictable lives, hence decide to sleep together. But they are excruciatingly clear in their belief that what they are doing is wrong and will eventually hurt their respective spouses.
It's a story of high risk, high loss for the two men. At the story's end, Ben is alone and Adam, who plays the moral center of the story, pays the highest price of all. The two women however, are rewarded with second chances.
If you enjoy films with good storytelling and superb ensemble acting, this is for you.
The two marry, but Ben and Adam pretty much remain joined at the hip. It's a story of people who cling to their childhoods as a way of keeping memories, good and bad, front and center. We've all had friends like that. The future doesn't seem to be going their way, and they try to find answers in their past life which seemed to make sense, even if it wasn't always perfect. When the answers don't come, mistakes are made.
The result is a classic "guy has an affair with his best friend's wife" story, but wonderfully executed as if we're riding down one of those lazy, winding rivers that occasionally hits a bump. It's also a story of privilege (the two go to Columbia University, Ben to Stanford Law School). Though the story takes place over several years, all scenes occur in the dead of winter. The cold temperatures and gray skies set a somber tone throughout. Cinematographer Michael F. Barrow certainly earns his salary in this film (through consistently beautiful shots of New England winters).
It's a sophisticated approach to storytelling, and I appreciate how the directors, (Sean Smith and Anthony Stark) let you connect the dots on your own with their subtle choices. No dialog is used to tell us that Adam knows his wife and friend are sleeping together. Jayne Brook also convinces us that she knows what's going on, but doesn't confront her husband until an awkward moment in a grocery store. But her face, behavior and tone tell us she's aware that her husband is slipping away.
A gorgeous sound track by Michael Small (who composed the sound track for Marathon Man) complements the film. When Ben asks Kat if she wants to leave, Brook delivers a stunning response. She has always been a loving wife, very composed and reasonable. When her husband's infidelity comes out, Brook explodes in a very convincing, authentic, honest performance. You can't help but be on her side.
It's not really clear why Ben and his friend's wife fall in love. It feels more like a fling gone bad. I suppose the directors intent was to show that these things are unplanned, never meant to happen, and are nothing more than mistakes. It's almost as if Ben and Nina are a bit bored with their predictable lives, hence decide to sleep together. But they are excruciatingly clear in their belief that what they are doing is wrong and will eventually hurt their respective spouses.
It's a story of high risk, high loss for the two men. At the story's end, Ben is alone and Adam, who plays the moral center of the story, pays the highest price of all. The two women however, are rewarded with second chances.
If you enjoy films with good storytelling and superb ensemble acting, this is for you.
See also
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