The Welsh poet Dylan Thomas (Matthew Rhys) is a creative soul who is married to Caitlin (Sienna Miller), a wild woman who tries to match his zest for life. The two of them are madly in love but able to accept the fact that they can't be sexually tied down to one person. They both drink a lot and shout at each other a lot. It works for Dylan who cranks out poetry that is special and lyrical. Caitlin is still unfinished, following her yearning where it leads.
The two meet up with Vera Philips (Keira Knightley) in London during World War II. An entertainer, she sings to exhausted and frazzled urban dwellers who gather in shelters to have her take away their cares. Vera grew up with Dylan in Wales and they made love on a beach at a very young age. The poet and his wife wind up staying with her, and the two women are soon vying for his attention. He finds Vera very alluring and wants to rekindle their intimate relationship. Caitlin, while jealous of this competitor, finds herself drawn to Vera in ways she can't explain.
William (Cillian Murphy) is a soldier in London who is swept away by Vera's beauty when he watches her sing torch songs to the crowds of people huddled underground. He does the best he can to seduce her and to his surprise, it works and they marry. When he is assigned to fight in Greece, Vera and their child move to the countryside with Dylan and Caitlin. The locals are not happy with the relationship between the poet, his wife, and their friend. Neither, for that matter, is William when he returns from Greece with shell-shock and a feeling that Vera has betrayed him.
The Edge of Love is directed by John Maybury and registers rather well as a powerful drama about the consequences of desire. Wherever this powerful human quality is found, jealousy and attachment are usually close at hand. The screenplay by Sharman MacDonald, based on books by David N. Thomas and Esther Killick, explores this trinity with style. Francois La Rochefoucauld has observed:
"Our desires always disappoint us; for though we meet with something that gives us satisfaction, yet it never thoroughly answers our expectations."
Dylan and Caitlin are free spirits but their high expectations are always dashed by the realities of life. Vera allows her desire to get the best of her, and there are terrible consequences. Matthew Rhys portrays Dylan Thomas as a selfish but immensely talented poet who uses everything and everyone around him to fuel his creativity. But the heart and soul of the drama is the complicated friendship that develops between Caitlin and Vera. Sienna Miller and Keira Knightley fill up the screen with their remarkable beauty and vitality.
Special DVD features include a commentary with director John Maybury and actor Matthew Rhys; a featurette "Looking Over The Edge Of Love"; and outtakes.
