Think being married today is complicated? Try getting hitched in the late 1940s, an era when divorce was simply not what respectable people considered unless under dire circumstances.
The new period drama “Married Life,” now out on DVD, takes that conceit and runs with it rather brilliantly.
Chris Cooper plays Harry, a married man who falls hard for a pretty widow (Rachel McAdams). But how can he marry her without crushing his wife Pat (Patricia Clarkson) to whom regular sex is the last remaining vestige of their bond?
Harry decides to kill her – to spare her the pain and humiliation of divorce. What a guy.
Complicating matters is Harry’s best pal, Richard (Pierce Brosnan, terrific once more), who out of passion or plot contrivance falls for Harry’s new squeeze.
What follows isn’t always as smooth as director Ira Sachs envisions, but it’s crisply acted and original to the bone.
The period garb, music and social mores add texture without overwhelming the story, and the resolution even packs a bit of unexpected romance. Not a bad trick given “Married Life’s” dour setup.
(Photo: Chris Cooper and Rachel McAdams canoodle in the dark drama “Married Life.”)
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