Living in a sumptuous modern house in the country, successful Anglo-Pakistani writer Ben is married to Annette. Marital discontent is telegraphed from the outset, with Ben clearly bored by his tense joyless spouse, and Annette angry over Ben's dismissive attitude and giving up her career to raise their two children. Their eldest is 6YO Mathilda, who has been cast in a film as the daughter of its principal character. As Ben escorts Matilda to the set on a daily basis, he becomes attracted to the actress Alicia, and Annette soon becomes suspicious.
Deeper discord becomes apparent as jealousy grows, leaving one wondering why the couple doesn't just end their loveless union. Meanwhile the film settles into a creative rut with all three main characters depicted as deceitful, manipulative and fairly unlikable. The narrative trots along an unexceptional path until it arrives at the surprise twist and melodramatic climax which is obligatory for this kind of tale. The project may well be commercially successful, but thirty seconds of reflection after the end titles will have many shaking their heads at the characters' superficiality and the plot's implausibility. The film leaves one yearning for the sophistication of a classic like 'Body Heat' which transformed deceit and manipulation into an art form.
