Credit: Netflix

Mike Nichols won one day and decided to bring four of the most attractive people on earth together: Jude Law, Natalie Portman, Julia Roberts and Clive Owen. Technically, he did us a favour because if you want a steamy movie with substance, Closer has to be on your list. Luckily, it is available to stream on Netflix, and if you have not watched it on a lazy afternoon with someone you are attracted to, you have been wasting your lazy afternoons.

Coming to the story, these four beguiling people are in London, wanting each other in ways they absolutely should not and saying things to one another that would make your jaw drop to the floor.

Dan (Jude Law) meets Alice (Natalie Portman) by chance when she gets hit by a car, and that moment soon turns into a relationship. They move in together, and for a while, it looks stable, just like in a movie. But then Dan meets Anna (Julia Roberts) during a photoshoot, and even though he is still with Alice, he becomes drawn to Anna almost immediately. In fact, within minutes, he is kissing her in her studio. And that kiss is so impulsive, you might want to replay it.

Now here’s where it gets complicated. Anna doesn’t get into it right away. Instead, through a bit of manipulation, Dan ends up introducing her to Larry (Clive Owen). Yes, the same Larry who later becomes a huge part of this story. Anna and Larry start seeing each other, and eventually, they get married.

Now it’s natural for you to think that everything stops here, but no. Dan and Anna still want each other, and they eventually act on it, starting an affair behind Alice’s and Larry’s backs. So now you’ve got two couples, but there are no boundaries. Everyone is connected, and they’re all dishonest.

But that’s where the real story begins. Larry finds out about the affair, and instead of things exploding dramatically, we see very intense and very direct conversations. Surprisingly, people are confronting each other. There are so many uncomfortable questions asked in the film that after a point, you’ll start getting uncomfortable.

Although the film is full of scenes with sexual tension, there is one particular strip club scene which is the most talked about. Larry walks in and finds Alice under a different name. Now think about it: he knows, she knows, but neither says it outright at first. He starts asking direct questions, she gives just enough back, and suddenly it’s not just a conversation anymore. It’s loaded, it’s tense, and you can feel exactly what’s sitting between them.

Both Portman and Owen won Golden Globes for their performances. Both were even nominated for Academy Awards. The film was adapted from Patrick Marber’s 1997 play of the same name, which itself ran at the Royal National Theatre in London before transferring to Broadway. Did you know Owen originally played Dan, the Jude Law role, in the stage production? Cate Blanchett was originally cast as Anna before dropping out due to pregnancy.

Closer is not a comfortable film. It does not end with anyone intact. But it is electric from the first frame to the last, and if you have someone sitting next to you on that couch, you will absolutely feel something before the credits roll.