Psychology technique · used in 8 films
Letting a character fall for someone they should distrust or oppose. Desire overrides suspicion, so the romance becomes a source of risk and comic or tragic tension.
Examples
Kenji Mizoguchi · 1953
Genjuro is warned that Lady Wakasa is not what she seems, yet he lets himself be pulled in by her beauty and her attention. The desire overrides his good sense. The film shows how easily a good man falls for something too good to be true.
Where to see it: The seduction. Wakasa wins over the potter in her mansion and persuades him to stay as her husband.
Joseph L. Mankiewicz · 1963
Antony is a Roman leader who should keep his distance, and he falls for Cleopatra instead. He marries Octavia, returns to Cleopatra and loses the trust of Rome. At Actium he abandons his own fleet to follow her.
Where to see it: The Battle of Actium. Cleopatra withdraws, Antony follows her, and his fleet is left without a commander.
François Truffaut · 1968
Antoine is supposed to spy on the shop owner, yet he falls for the owner's wife, Fabienne, who willingly seduces him. He knows it is a bad idea and keeps going. The romance becomes a comic risk.
Where to see it: The shoe store owner's wife. Antoine becomes smitten with Fabienne while he works on her husband's case.
François Truffaut · 1981
Bernard and Mathilde know from their past that being together is painful. They still start an affair in secret, while openly acting like good neighbors. The tension comes from watching two smart people ignore the warning signs.
Where to see it: The supermarket meeting. A chance encounter wakes up their old feelings and leads to the secret affair.
Joel Coen, Ethan Coen · 2003
Miles and Marylin go from lawyer and opponent to dinner partners. During dinner, they flirt while his team copies her address book. Because each is always plotting, their feelings stay hard to read until the end.
Where to see it: The dinner date. Miles asks Marylin to dinner and they flirt while Gus breaks into her house for the address book.
Jane Campion · 2003
Frannie is drawn to Detective Malloy even as her instincts tell her to be careful. His aggression thrills and frightens her in equal measure. The romance feels risky because you are never sure she should trust him.
Where to see it: Malloy and Frannie: Malloy questions her about the murder, and she is alternately thrilled and frightened by his sexual aggressiveness. After she is assaulted by a masked stranger she phones him, and they have sex.
Woody Allen · 2006
Sondra sets out to prove Lyman is a killer, then falls for him and begins to trust him. Even after she finds a tarot deck in his vault, she wants the best version of him. The film makes this funny, but it also shows how easily wanting someone can bend your judgment.
Where to see it: The weekend at the country estate. Sondra stays with Lyman and waves off Sid's growing evidence.
Todd Field · 2006
Sarah and Brad both know they should not do this. They kiss on a dare and agree not to act on it, then they keep meeting. Desire wins, and it becomes a source of tension.
Where to see it: The first meeting. At the park, Sarah and Brad kiss on a dare and agree not to act on it.
Questions