In Take This Waltz, a quietly brilliant romantic drama from Canadian actress and director Sarah Polley, we find ourselves in the colorful hipster neighborhoods of urban Toronto. Young married couple Margot and Lou (Michelle Williams and Seth Rogan) have an easy, playful banter around the house, but there are awkward pauses and sudden silences. All is not well.
Margot leaves town for a work gig — she’s a copywriter, he’s a chef — and meets soulful, sexy artist Daniel (Luke Kirby). On the plane back home to Toronto, Daniel and Margot start crushing on each other, and it turns out they’re neighbors, too. Margot begins sneaking peeks at Daniel from her upstairs window and the next thing you know they’re sharing martinis at 2 pm at the neighborhood restaurant, initiating the world’s oldest dance.
Take This Waltz starts out slow and awkward — just like love! — then gets interesting and complex. The self-conscious dialogue in the film’s first half establishes itself as a deliberate style in the second half, as director Polley colors in the corners of her world. Color, in fact, is a big part of the visual strategy in the movie. The bright, blown-out palette lends a subtle intensity, reflecting the potent emotions bubbling up from within the characters. Watch for the colors that surround Daniel, and the ones that surround poor old Lou. Then consider the colors, and the patterns, Margot wears.
