Winner of the Grand Jury Prize at the Sundance Film Festival, this haunting tale of twisted obsession also comes alarmingly close to being arty and soporific. For avoiding that abyss, director Jonathan Nossiter, who wrote the script with James Lasdun, owes a debt of thanks to David Suchet and Lisa Harrow, who give exceptional performances. Suchet, the star of TV's Poirot, plays Oliver, an out-of-shape IBM accountant who is also out of a job, a home and a wife, and reduced to living at a homeless shelter in Queens, N.Y. Harrow plays Madeleine, a British actress who is not finding much satisfying work in New York, where she moved to be with her now estranged husband, Ben (Larry Pine).

The action revolves around one wintry Sunday when Madeleine encounters Oliver on a walk and mistakes him for film director Matthew Delacorta. She invites him home, and a series of mind games ensues involving identity, sex and violence. Nossiter evokes Vertigo with character names from that Hitchcock masterwork — Madeleine, Judy, Scottie, Elster, Johnnie O — but he's out of his league. It's Suchet and Harrow, exploring the wellsprings of loneliness, who provide the real glimmers of grace.

“More Than a Feeling”

Boston mastermind Tom Scholz was as surprised by anyone when he sent his unsolicited demo to record labels and got back a positive response. Scholz said, “I couldn’t believe it. Nobody knew who we were, so I wouldn’t even say we were struggling. It was groveling.” Part of the credit for the interest must go to the anthemic rock number "More Than a Feeling." Inspired by the Left Banke's 1966 hit "Walk Away Renee," Scholz worked on the song for five years in his basement studio before it was released on this album.