After being fired, Helen (Gwynneth Paltrow) runs to catch a train that, unknown to her, her future hinges on. If she catches it, she'll get home in time to catch her boyfriend Gerry with another woman. If she doesn't, she'll go on not knowing about his infidelity.
This has to be one of the most intriuging plots I've ever seen. Most films would take just one or other of these plots and churn out a typical rom-com, but Sliding Doors turns them into one excellent film. The acting is great (even if Paltrow's accent is at times a little too British and forced) and the plot twists every few seconds. It could have become very confusing, but the direction is good enough that you can easily follow the two stories at once.
There are two things that stop this film being a 10. The first is that the two Helens sometimes seem a little too different from each other to be the same person. Even if they have gone through to different experiences, they don't act the same at all. The second is that the message of the film seems that we don't control our own future-after all, it isnt Helen who decides if she makes it to the train, it all depends on if a little girl is pulled out of the way by her mother in time.
Still, this is a very entertaining film, and definately worth watching. 8/10.
This has to be one of the most intriuging plots I've ever seen. Most films would take just one or other of these plots and churn out a typical rom-com, but Sliding Doors turns them into one excellent film. The acting is great (even if Paltrow's accent is at times a little too British and forced) and the plot twists every few seconds. It could have become very confusing, but the direction is good enough that you can easily follow the two stories at once.
There are two things that stop this film being a 10. The first is that the two Helens sometimes seem a little too different from each other to be the same person. Even if they have gone through to different experiences, they don't act the same at all. The second is that the message of the film seems that we don't control our own future-after all, it isnt Helen who decides if she makes it to the train, it all depends on if a little girl is pulled out of the way by her mother in time.
Still, this is a very entertaining film, and definately worth watching. 8/10.