Third Person

Paul Haggis, whose 2004 film Crash was one of the least deserving Best Picture winners in Oscar history, returns to the realm of overwritten, multi-layered storytelling with Third Person. This time out, his anthology approach to film narrative makes far less cohesive sense than in Crash--the themes that unite his three stories are inconsequential as well as pretentious. His cast is first rate, and they keep you interested long past the point where your brain shuts off and you stop trying to figure out the backstories and connections of the various individuals on screen. This is especially true of Olivia Wilde and Liam Neeson, who bring nuanced depth of character to their paper-thin scenario. I would feel bad for all these actors, except they seem to be having so much fun creating this self-important piece of cinematic navel-gazing. Unfortunately, their enjoyment of and investment in the picture does not translate to much enjoyment or investment for the audience.