The film is based on the play Speaking in Tongues by Andrew Bovell who also penned the screenplay. When analyzing the story, a viewer will see that its clues are within the characters themselves as their actions are what cause the ripple effects leading to adultery, betrayal, lack of trust and death for Valerie. Ray Lawrence directs the film and brings out these themes in a poignant way. He is showing that people’s lives are drastically affected by adultery. And not just the lives of the husband and wife that are going through it, but their children, their neighbors, their friends and anyone who comes into their path.
This conception is shown in the scene where Leon slams into a man while running. It’s Leon’s fault but he blames the other man. He is sprinting down a hill, going way too fast with very little regard for others. He’s only thinking of himself and in so doing he injures innocent people. This is just on the external. Internally, from this same scene we see that Leon is so emotionally numb that instead of seeing he is to blame initially, he erupts in rage at the man. In the same way he attempts to justify his affair with Jane based on his need to feel something. And Jane does the same. She wants passion in her marriage and instead of attempting to create it with her husband she just dumps him for the excitement of another man, who turns out to be married.
The story begins to splinter out and we watch as the trust between characters is broken. Paula can no longer trust Jane who is her neighbor and friend to be alone with her husband. Hurt by this, Jane goes to the police rather than talking with Nick and Paula about her seeing Nick throw a shoe in the bush. The point of this is that when trust is broken, many times it is the one who broke the trust that expects others to accept them and even be willing to take the first steps in repairing the relationship. Like Leon, Jane doesn’t take full responsibility for her role in the lack of trust. Instead, she jumps to action based on her feelings being hurt.
The point that Bovell and Lawrence make with the film is that when trust is broken, in any way people must decide what they want to do about it. Many times what’s decided by one side is that they will defend their previously poor actions in order to not have to face the hard reality of mending what was broken. On the other hand, a character like John chooses to not address the issue at all. And by staying quiet he not only sacrifices rebuilding his marriage but his wife’s life. The film shows the destruction of broken trust through the lens of adultery and the horrible consequences that ripple out from the act.
