The Other Man (2008 film)
Encyclopedia
The Other Man is a British-American movie directed by Richard Eyre
. It stars Liam Neeson
and Antonio Banderas
as competitors for a woman's love (Laura Linney
).
After she dies, Peter finds a strange message on her cell phone requesting her to meet “Rafe” at their regular place. It creates a suspension in the mind of Peter and he decides to check her e-mails and finds several similar requests in there too. He also finds a secret folder named “Love” on her Desktop which is password protected. It creates a strong suspicion in his mind that she had a secret love affair and that her lover is mailing her now. He tries to open the folder by breaking the password for several days, but in vain.
He replies to the mails of “Rafe” pretending to be Lisa. He requests one of his trusted co-workers to find out the real name & exact location of the sender of these e-mails by tracing down his IP Address, which is an offence. His co-worker tells him that Rafe’s real name is Ralph (Banderas), who lives in Milan.
In order to find out more about his wife's lover, he secretly locates and follows Ralph in Milan. He then goes to a Milanese Cafe, one of Ralph's haunts, and begins to play chess alone. Ralph engages him in conversation, and they begin to play chess and talk. Ralph easily speaks about Lisa & their relationship, unaware that Peter is Lisa's husband. Ralph tells him that it is he who has suggested she start a Shoe designing business after perceiving her unique understanding of shoes and her passion towards different new designs, which this industry lacks. Over a period of time, they play several games of chess and, as far as Ralph is concerned, have a friendship.
Abigail learns of her mother's affair and about her father's frightening obsession with vengeance. She came to Milan and tries to convince her father to stop hunting for Lisa’s lover as she had already gone, as well as to accept her husband George (who is a poor music player). She also warns him that his craziness will lead him to lose everything (including his daughter, career and friends). One day, Peter finds the letter left by Lisa in her Red Shoes, containing only word “Lake Como”. When he applies that as the password on the folder it opens. It contains thousands of her photos & videos with Ralph in their passionate moments & near “Lake Como” where she first met Ralph.
Peter becomes greatly upset and he goes uninvited, with murderous intent, to Ralph's apartment. There, to his surprise, he learns that Ralph is not the cosmopolitan man of the world as he has been portraying himself, but an impoverished janitor. Peter's hate diminishes, but not his urge to avenge. He sends an e-mail, as Lisa, to Ralph, asking that he meet her at Lake Como. Ralph tells Peter about his upcoming meeting, and Peter gives him money to enable the meeting. Instead of finding Lisa there, Ralph finds Peter waiting for him, and Peter reveals to Ralph that he was Lisa's husband, and that Lisa is actually dead. Ralph tells Peter that Lisa had known about his humble origins and poor socio-economic background. She also helped him financially on several occasions. He also forces Peter to confront that it is his excessive devotion for his work & cold nature towards marital life, which had moved Lisa to seek warmth in Ralph's arms, but still loving Peter so much that she never was ready to leave him, in spite of cheating with Ralph. When Ralph asks her to tell Peter about their affair, end their marriage and move in with him, Lisa refused, saying that she did not want to hurt Peter and make him endure the pain of separation. She promised to reveal her dark secret to Peter at the appropriate time in her life so that he can forgive her for her infidelity.
Ralph has arranged a dinner in Lisa's memory, and at first, Peter refuses to go. However, he realizes that “forgiveness and love need to replace hate”, and arranges to be at the dinner with Abigail and her husband.
Richard Eyre
Sir Richard Charles Hastings Eyre CBE is an English director of film, theatre, television, and opera.-Biography:Eyre was educated at Sherborne School, an independent school for boys in the market town of Sherborne in north-west Dorset in south-west England, followed by Peterhouse at the University...
. It stars Liam Neeson
Liam Neeson
Liam John Neeson, OBE is an Irish actor who has been nominated for an Oscar, a BAFTA and three Golden Globe Awards.He has starred in a number of notable roles including Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Michael Collins in Michael Collins, Peyton Westlake in Darkman, Jean Valjean in Les...
and Antonio Banderas
Antonio Banderas
José Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer...
as competitors for a woman's love (Laura Linney
Laura Linney
Laura Leggett Linney is an American actress of film, television, and theatre. Linney has won three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has been nominated for three times for an Academy Award and once for a BAFTA Award...
).
Plot
In Cambridge, Lisa (Linney) is a shoe designer, happily married for the last 25 years to Peter (Neeson), a software developer. They have a daughter, Abigail (Garai). Lisa frequently travels to Milano to do business with the Gianni & Gianni Company. When Lisa is about to die due to critical illness, she writes something on a piece of paper and asks her daughter to put it in her red shoes so that one day Peter can find it. But Lisa instructs Abigail not to tell him about the letter. Abigail asks how he would find the message when he doesn't even know about its existence, but she replies that he will definitely look for it and find it on his own one day.After she dies, Peter finds a strange message on her cell phone requesting her to meet “Rafe” at their regular place. It creates a suspension in the mind of Peter and he decides to check her e-mails and finds several similar requests in there too. He also finds a secret folder named “Love” on her Desktop which is password protected. It creates a strong suspicion in his mind that she had a secret love affair and that her lover is mailing her now. He tries to open the folder by breaking the password for several days, but in vain.
He replies to the mails of “Rafe” pretending to be Lisa. He requests one of his trusted co-workers to find out the real name & exact location of the sender of these e-mails by tracing down his IP Address, which is an offence. His co-worker tells him that Rafe’s real name is Ralph (Banderas), who lives in Milan.
In order to find out more about his wife's lover, he secretly locates and follows Ralph in Milan. He then goes to a Milanese Cafe, one of Ralph's haunts, and begins to play chess alone. Ralph engages him in conversation, and they begin to play chess and talk. Ralph easily speaks about Lisa & their relationship, unaware that Peter is Lisa's husband. Ralph tells him that it is he who has suggested she start a Shoe designing business after perceiving her unique understanding of shoes and her passion towards different new designs, which this industry lacks. Over a period of time, they play several games of chess and, as far as Ralph is concerned, have a friendship.
Abigail learns of her mother's affair and about her father's frightening obsession with vengeance. She came to Milan and tries to convince her father to stop hunting for Lisa’s lover as she had already gone, as well as to accept her husband George (who is a poor music player). She also warns him that his craziness will lead him to lose everything (including his daughter, career and friends). One day, Peter finds the letter left by Lisa in her Red Shoes, containing only word “Lake Como”. When he applies that as the password on the folder it opens. It contains thousands of her photos & videos with Ralph in their passionate moments & near “Lake Como” where she first met Ralph.
Peter becomes greatly upset and he goes uninvited, with murderous intent, to Ralph's apartment. There, to his surprise, he learns that Ralph is not the cosmopolitan man of the world as he has been portraying himself, but an impoverished janitor. Peter's hate diminishes, but not his urge to avenge. He sends an e-mail, as Lisa, to Ralph, asking that he meet her at Lake Como. Ralph tells Peter about his upcoming meeting, and Peter gives him money to enable the meeting. Instead of finding Lisa there, Ralph finds Peter waiting for him, and Peter reveals to Ralph that he was Lisa's husband, and that Lisa is actually dead. Ralph tells Peter that Lisa had known about his humble origins and poor socio-economic background. She also helped him financially on several occasions. He also forces Peter to confront that it is his excessive devotion for his work & cold nature towards marital life, which had moved Lisa to seek warmth in Ralph's arms, but still loving Peter so much that she never was ready to leave him, in spite of cheating with Ralph. When Ralph asks her to tell Peter about their affair, end their marriage and move in with him, Lisa refused, saying that she did not want to hurt Peter and make him endure the pain of separation. She promised to reveal her dark secret to Peter at the appropriate time in her life so that he can forgive her for her infidelity.
Ralph has arranged a dinner in Lisa's memory, and at first, Peter refuses to go. However, he realizes that “forgiveness and love need to replace hate”, and arranges to be at the dinner with Abigail and her husband.
Cast
- Liam NeesonLiam NeesonLiam John Neeson, OBE is an Irish actor who has been nominated for an Oscar, a BAFTA and three Golden Globe Awards.He has starred in a number of notable roles including Oskar Schindler in Schindler's List, Michael Collins in Michael Collins, Peyton Westlake in Darkman, Jean Valjean in Les...
as Peter - Antonio BanderasAntonio BanderasJosé Antonio Domínguez Banderas , better known as Antonio Banderas, is a Spanish film actor, film director, film producer and singer...
as Ralph - Laura LinneyLaura LinneyLaura Leggett Linney is an American actress of film, television, and theatre. Linney has won three Emmy Awards, two Golden Globes, and a Screen Actors Guild Award. She has been nominated for three times for an Academy Award and once for a BAFTA Award...
as Lisa - Romola GaraiRomola GaraiRomola Sadie Garai is an English actress. She is known for appearing in the movies Amazing Grace, Atonement, and Glorious 39, and for appearing in the BBC adaptation of Emma.-Early life:...
as Abigail - Pam FerrisPam FerrisPamela Ann "Pam" Ferris is a German-born Welsh actress. She is best known for her starring roles on television as Ma Larkin in The Darling Buds of May, as Laura Thyme in Rosemary & Thyme, and for playing Miss Trunchbull in the movie Matilda...
as Vera - Paterson JosephPaterson Joseph-Career:Born in London. Attended Cardinal Hinsley R.C High School in North West London. Joseph first trained at the Studio '68 of Theatre Arts, London – 1983–85 with Robert Henderson, then at the London Academy of Music and Dramatic Art . In recent years he has had a high number of roles in...
as Ralph - Craig ParkinsonCraig ParkinsonCraig Parkinson is a British actor known for playing the twins Jimmy and Johnny Kray in the 2010 ITV drama Whitechapel.Parkinson first came to notice with his portrayal of English music mogul Tony Wilson in director Anton Corbijn's film Control .His film and television appearances include People...
as George - Richard GrahamRichard Graham (actor)Richard Graham is an actor. He is mostly known for his roles opposite Leonardo DiCaprio in Titanic and Gangs Of New York , as well as playing Trevor in the football hooligan film I.D. .He has appeared in many television series, including all 12 episodes of Maisie Raine as D.S...
as Eric - Emma FieldingEmma FieldingEmma Georgina Annalies Fielding is an English actress.-Biography:The lapsed Roman Catholic daughter of a British Army soldier, Fielding spent much of her childhood in Malaysia and Nigeria, and a period in Malvern above her grandparents' betting shop...
as Gail - Amanda DrewAmanda DrewAmanda Drew is a British actress. Drew is best known for her role as the psychotic Dr. May Wright in the BBC soap opera EastEnders.-Biography:...
as Joy - Paul RitterPaul Ritter (actor)Paul Ritter is a British stage and screen actor.His selected filmography includes roles in Quantum of Solace, Son of Rambow, Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince, Nowhere Boy, The Eagle and the 2007 television serial Instinct....
as Guy - Joseph LongJoseph Long (actor)Joseph Long is an actor. He has appeared in numerous BBC television productions including Doctor Who, Ashes to Ashes, The Bill and East Enders, He has also appeared in film, for instance in The Life and Death of Peter Sellers as film director Carlo Ponti. He portrayed Bernardino Drovetti in the...
as Maitre d'