In recent films like Blue Valentine and Monogamy, indie directors have moved on from quirky adolescents coming of age to disillusioned thirtysomethings in fragmenting relationships. Massy Tadjedin puts some extra gloss on the concept, setting her on-the-rocks melodrama amid the tony hotels, bistros, and lofts of Manhattan's elite. Keira Knightley's Joanna is as elegant as the interiors: she's an unfulfilled writer married to Michael (Sam Worthington), a stolidly successful businessman. Joanna accuses Michael of having more than professional interest in his colleague Laura (Eva Mendes), with whom he's going on a business trip. How ironic, then, that on the same night Michael faces temptation with Laura, Joanna's old flame Alex (Guillaume Canet) should show up in town. Tadjedin bounces from one couple to the other with all the logic of a badminton game, but the only revelation is Knightley's nuanced performance.
