Take This Waltz Part 1: A Beautiful Cautionary Tale on Love and Desire (Film Analysis)

The late, great Roger Ebert once wrote a piece on how the film La Dolce Vita helped him “measure the inexorable progress of time.”  Each decade from 1962 to 2002 he saw the film and each decade his view on it altered based on his own experiences and gained knowledge in life.  I first saw Take This Waltz in 2011, and watched it again in 2020.  While it hasn’t been a decade yet, my life has vastly changed during those nine years.  I’ve graduated, own a house, a dog, and a cat, had several jobs, and most notably been married for over five years.  My marriage is the key to this review.  My understanding and perspective of Take This Waltz has altered vastly between viewings—as has my immense appreciation.  Where I once viewed Take This Waltz as an interesting love triangle romance-drama has blossomed into a beautiful cautionary tale on love and desire—full of clever, deceptive storytelling, fleshed-out characters, lovely cinematography, and a knack for going against Hollywood conventions.

Take This Waltz opens with an unassuming yet ambiguous shot of its protagonist Margot (Michelle Williams) baking a cake.  Margot sits down on the floor, next to the oven, with a melancholy look of dejection on her face as someone walks in—not acknowledging Margot—to look out the window.  The somber scene transitions to Margot on the job, working as a freelance writer visiting a French colonial reenactment.  Margot ends up getting chosen to participate in a fake lashing of a prisoner, much to her dismay, and is prodded by one of the audience bystanders to put her back into it, prompting the entire audience to egg on the request.  Margot is thoroughly embarrassed by the event and chastises the stranger for his jab.

What stands out about Take This Waltz is how unorthodox it can be.  From its story to characters to cinematography, the film has an affinity for the quirky and enjoys doing strange stuff seemingly for the heck of it.  There’s a genuine charm to its weirdness, however, going against Hollywood conventions and trying its own thing.  Take when Margot catches a flight back home and is shown being brought through the terminal in a wheelchair.  The oddity is noticed by the stranger named Daniel (Luke Kirby), who happens to also be on the same flight sitting next to Margot.  Daniel asks Margot about the wheelchair who clear-cut lies about it—saying she has a condition where she can't stand for no more than four minutes without help.  Conventional storytelling and pacing would have Daniel call out Margot’s bull then, but the film instead has a transition where Daniel falls asleep and Margot watches him.  Daniel wakes up and THEN calls Margot out on her lie as well as her watching him sleep.

It’s a strange way to progress the plot, but it works in further showcasing their character.  Daniel only calls Margot out after she’s caught doing another unusual stunt (staring at him)—a sort of push for him to continue their interactions.  Margot does not like being called out, yet when she’s confronted into a corner, she…laughs, as humans—like myself—often do when caught in a lie.  Yet Daniel laughs as well, because he’s not interested in chastising her actions—he’s interested in her.  The pair start getting along with some cute banter before Margot explains the reason why she used a wheelchair—giving some surprisingly deep insight to a stranger she just met:

Margot: I'm scared of airports… I'm afraid of connections in airports. Getting from one plane to another. Running and rushing, and not knowing... Trying to figure it out... Wondering if I'm gonna make it...

Daniel: What do you think will happen if you do not succeed?

Margot: I think I may get lost... And that I may rot and die in some forgotten empty terminal that nobody even knows exists.

Daniel: And you miss your plane.

Margot: No... that's not really the fear.

Daniel: Then what are you afraid of?

Margot: I'm afraid of wondering if I'll miss it. I do not like being between things... I'm afraid of being afraid.

Daniel: Sounds like the most dangerous thing in the world.

The two end up leaving the airport together and share a taxi for separate drop offs—playing cute games along the way—yet as it turns out, Daniel has recently moved close by to Margot’s house.  The impression audience are supposed to get here is clear-cut.  An undeniable chemistry between two characters who met under quirky circumstances and just happen to live in close proximity of each other.  All aboard the love train!  Yet just as audience interpretation has molded where the film’s going, Margot—who’s very resistant to ruin the fun—drops the bomb on Daniel that she's married.  Daniel calmly, yet with a heavy undertone of disappointment, notes how that's too bad and precedes to go to his house across the street.  He gives a shrug to the now complicated situation, with Margot simply exhaling a quiet obscenity.  In a matter of moments, the film’s tone and dynamic has shifted entirely and become a lot more interesting and attention-grabbing.

The film cuts to the next day and introduces Margot's husband Lou (Seth Rogen).  The two have an array of goofy games and interactions between them, such as loudly speaking into each other’s eyeball saying they have something in it, or competing over how much they love one another:

Margot: I love you so much, I'm gonna mesh your head with a potato masher.

Lou: I love you so much, that I will put your spleen into a meat grinder. And it is gonna be a freaking rusty meat grinder.

Margot: I love you so much, that...I'm gonna inject your face with a curious combination of Swineflu and Ebola.

Lou: laughs You win this round my friend.

Most adorably is Lou’s daily prank on Margot when he pours a cup of cold water on her as she showers—Margot unknowingly believing it to be the shower spurting.  Lou is a chef who makes delectable dishes for them to eat together while watching TV.  He is a kind-hearted man who cares immensely for Margot, stating how happy he is to have her home again from the trip.

Despite their relatively happy situation, Margot shows clear restlessness—staring up into space while in bed as Lou sleeps soundly.  When going outside to water their plants, Margot spots Daniel leaving his house with a rickshaw.  The unusually intriguing site is interrupted by the usual site of Lou, who comes out and amusingly begins spraying water at Margot.  The giggling pair begin kissing outside with Margot increasingly determined to make it passionate—yet Lou halts the moment by turning it into a thumb wrestling competition, causing Margot to dejectedly walk back inside having not gotten the spark she was looking for.

When heading out to the grocery store, Margot runs into Daniel pulling his rickshaw.  The two converse and lightly bicker like goofy children—ending up getting coffee together where Margot states they should just be friends.  Daniel doesn't disagree with her, yet his intentions of getting to better know Margot are obviously not to have another friend.  Daniel brings Margot back to his place to show off his other job as an artist (or a painter as he calls it)—revealing a picture he painted of Margot, causing them to once again get into a self-reflective discussion:

Margot: Oh. That's... That's pretty disturbing actually. Okay. I guess my response is: "F*** you".

Daniel: What!? One side is full of hope.

Margot: Yes, but the other side is a junkie, about to throw herself from a bridge.

Daniel: No, you become melodramatic. One side just does not live up to its full potential, maybe.

Margot: One side of me, or one side of the picture?

Daniel: So... frowns at the picture that wasn't a good idea, clearly.

Michelle Williams has a very distinct style of acting that brings a very unique performance here.  Daniel's character puts it best in that she feels restless "in a kind of permanent way".  It's clear that she's not entirely happy with her life at the moment, and the increasing presence of Daniel is only fueling this mentality.  She's trying to fight an inner urge here, and it comes out as an angry dismissiveness both towards Daniel and towards Lou.  She compares herself to her infant niece: nine out of ten times being able to figure out what she wants, yet one-tenth of the times there are instances where her emotions are unexplainable.  Daniel offers a simple explanation that perhaps it's that she just hadn't found out what “her niece” really wanted.  Daniel's way of talking is notably abnormal, speaking often in a reflective manner about himself or Margot—the latter like a psychiatrist to his patient, constantly asking open-ended questions like “Do you?” or “What do you think?”  It's a very odd way for a human to speak, particularly to a relative stranger, yet I believe that is the point—to make Daniel stand out as something distinctive and new to Margot as opposed to the goofy, yet otherwise typical Lou.

Margot fear of being stuck between things is showcased as her anxiety rises from this escalating love triangle scenario.  The mere sight of seeing Daniel walking outside causes her to get extremely stressed out—seeking out Lou to hug him and play their quirky games to reaffirm that she is indeed on one side:

Margot: When did you start winning this game?

Lou: I do not know. Maybe it means I love you more now.

Margot: ...I love you.

Rogan is as stark contrast to Kirby in appearance as he is with filmography.  Whereas Rogan’s primary forte is comedy, Kirby’s stems more towards drama.  This is displayed in their character interactions with Margot—whereas Daniel’s interactions are more passionate and philosophical, Lou’s are childishly affectionate, goofy, and playful.

There is a very...interesting scene that occurs next.  Margot ends up going with Lou's sister Geraldine (Sarah Silverman) to a water aerobics class.  Daniel happens to be there watching—in a manner that should be creepy but because of his status as the mysterious, handsome stranger isn’t—as Margot makes a fool of herself.  She is embarrassed at first but soon (like before) gets over it and breaks into uncontrollable giggles—Daniel laughing with her—to the point that she pees herself, causing the urine-indicator dye to turn blue and force everyone out.  Geraldine notices Daniel, and notices that Daniel is particularly noticing Margot, and that Margot is particularly noticing Daniel.  She puts the pieces together and in a subtle yet not-so-subtle manner strikes up some banter in the showers:

Geraldine: Sometimes I wonder if there is any point to shaving my legs. I'm pretty sure James wouldn't notice either way. Who am I shaving my legs for?

Other Lady: in an exasperated tone Married life.

Geraldine: Yeah, it's kind of depressing. But sometimes I think, after ten years who's gonna take a really active interest in whether I shave my legs or not and at least after all this time I like James. Is it worth trading all that in for something exciting with someone I may not like in ten years? looks at Margot I don't know.

Other Lady: Sometimes I just want something new. New things are shiny.

Another Lady: New things get old.

Geraldine: Yeah, that's right, new things get old. Just like the old things did.

All well and good but I'm not really addressing the elephant in the room here.  Director Sarah Polley takes a very blatantly open approach to showing the women showering.  Everything is visible, there's no hiding it, and it comes right at the audience out of nowhere.  When I first saw the film, I was baffled as to why such excessive nudity was necessary to have in the film, especially nudity that had very little to do with the actual plot.  The scene could have easily been moved elsewhere, or done when the characters are changing or wearing towels, etc.—so why was it done?  The answer to this question lies with who is in the scene.

Polley appears to be going for a two-strike assault against Hollywood conventions and social taboos.  The majority of the women shown are middle-aged or older.  They are not models, nor examples of traditional Hollywood attractiveness.  They are everyday women that act like everyday women.  There is not a hint of sexual titillation to be found within the scene.  Even the more conventional actresses such as Michelle Williams and Sarah Silverman are presented in a very naturalistic, tasteful light.  The scene presents full-on nudity in a blunt and unassuming manner.   It’s treated as an afterthought, a fact-of-life that doesn’t need to be covered up or treated as a big deal.  The scene has the mindset of a nudist colony.  The nudity and any statements it expresses are not necessary to the story, much like many of the film’s quirks, but it is duly noted and I admire Polley’s mold-breaking approach.

Daniel meets up with Margot and they continue on with their chemical banter.  Their natural chemistry certainly isn't hindered when Williams trips during their walking discussion and the two actors give a bit of cute improvisation.  The two stop for afternoon martinis and Margot reveals her secret desire to know what would happen if the two ended up having an affair.  Daniel, enjoying every second of this, goes into great detail giving a very passionate, erotic description of how they would make love, only fueling her inner desires and fantasies.  Daniel certainly has a way with words—a true hipster playboy—and it has a clear effect on Margot, though she tries laughing it off.  Before she leaves, however, Margot has Daniel make a pact to meet in thirty years for a single kiss:

Margot: Because none of this are actually going to happen, can I make an appointment with you?

Daniel: What kind of appointment?

Margot: I'd like to make a date to kiss you.

Daniel: My schedule is fairly flexible.

Margot: Is it flexible in thirty years?

Daniel: Thirty years?

Margot: I'd like to meet you at the lighthouse in Louisburg. I'm gonna be fifty-eight. I do not know how old you will be.

Daniel: I'll be fifty-nine.

Margot: I would like to see you there, on this day on August 5th, 2040. and I 'd like to kiss you. Until then, I'm married. But after thirty-five years of being faithful to my husband, I think I'll have earned a kiss.

It's all very romantic, right out of a pulp novel, and for Margot it's the perfect blend of being able dip her toe into the fantasy while still remaining faithful to her husband (in her mind at least).  From this passionate fantasy, the scene transitions a complete one-eighty into intimate mundanity as Margot and Lou casually share the bathroom together—her peeing while the other brushes his teeth, ending with her taking a shower and Lou continuing his cold water prank before running away giddily.  Between the martinis and bathroom scenes, one of the two is the real deal relationship, and it's not the one Margot's thinking about.

Yet I wasn't thinking that way either back when I first saw the film.  I was nineteen when Take This Waltz released, and I recall being on the Margot/Daniel ship at this point in the film.  I saw a larger-than-life passion between them, something rare that you can’t find in a typical relationship.  Nearly a decade later, and I see quite the opposite. I’m twenty-eight, the same age as Margot, and five years married, just like Margot.  I’ve been in her shoes now, and I see the foolishness in hers and my past self’s thinking.  Margot and Lou’s relationship is far from perfect.  Lou is still very uncomfortable with the thought of having kids and dodges having meaningful conversations about it.  He also shows obliviousness to his wife’s desires for a more spicy, passionate love life.  Yet these are types of problems every relationship faces, and ones they can overcome, but Margot is too caught up seeing only these negatives to also see the multitude of positives they bring as a couple.  She’s too blinded by the current fantasy Daniel brings to consider what, if any, strengths they have in the long run.

LINK TO PART 2!!!