Kehoe: Larry is the Strongest

The film Closer showcases the talents of all of its stars very effectively, but Clive Owen, in the role of Larry, emerges as the strongest of the characters. In the beginning of the film Larry is nebbish and jovial, but as the film progresses he emerges as a man who will stop at nothing to get what he wants. In the above scene Anna, played by Julia Roberts, is meeting with Larry in order to have him sign their divorce papers. It is in this scene that Larry convinces Anna to sleep with him a final time, which eventually leads to the destruction of her relationship with Jude Law.
This scene is the first step in Larry’s underhanded plan to win Anna back. The most notable aspect of the frame is the color values. Not only in the contrast of the characters, but also in the scene as a whole. The table and chairs are fairly devoid of color, as is the scenery in the window behind them, even the rose at the center of the table appears to be black. All of these elements give the scene a dark and cheerless tone. Larry’s dark clothing contrasting with Anna’s bright white symbolizes his transformation from a character that is jocular and slightly geeky, to a man that is cold and calculating.
A notable subsidiary object in the scene is the vertical line that is formed by the window divider and the leg of the table. It runs from top to bottom to represent the void that has grown between Larry and Anna. This rift is becomes even more defined in the character proxemics. Even though the shot is tightly framed, both Anna and Larry sit at the very edges of the frame, as if to be as far as possible from one another.
Larry, played by Clive Owen, comes across as the strongest character in the film. Not only does he win Anna back but also gets his revenge by destroying Dan and Alice’s relationship. What makes Larry the strongest out of all the characters is that he never changes what he wants through out the movie. In the beginning all he wants is to be with Anna and when she leaves him all he wants is to get her back.