The Business of Strangers

[deleted]

Interesting observation mr. flatley. :)

I just watched this movie, and I think that you are correct.

Just saw this movie and really liked it. Good acting all around. I think many of the points already made by others here were indeed intentional in the movie--the lies/facades of people's lives, the loneliness, the unexpressed and often hidden aggression between men and women. My take on the characters is that Paula was a psychopath and indeed was using Julia to make up a story. I think Paula was a lesbian and hated men in a different way than Julia did--the former just not relating to them at all, while the latter had a lot of resentment toward them as she crawled her way to the top of the male-dominated corporate world (or maybe her failed marriage played a part!). The interaction between the two women changed Julia--it made her rethink the "great news" about becoming CEO and having to deal with more of the same. I think the photo Paul tore up was a red herring--thrown in to keep you guessing about the real identity of Nick. But ultimately, the movie wasn't about Nick, and it almost didn't matter what he did or didn't do--the alchemy occurred between the women.

Or Paula could be telling the absolute truth.. In the final scene when the headhunter is asked what he did the previous night by Julia, he lies to her face and says he met a stockbroker who gave him tips.. Then he's asked where he went to graduate school and says Ohio State.. The point is that we know he lied about his whereabouts the night before, why should we believe that he went to Ohio State and, as he also states, had only been to Boston one time?.. He establishes no credibility to the audience.. The ending of this movie is very subjective...

"Paula's obviously very angry about something -- maybe she was raped, maybe it's other stuff."

Check out Paula's backstory: went to Dartmouth (greek and conservative) and bopped down to the frat party in Boston. Surprise-she's raped, and returns to the similar environs in Hanover to "stay in her room until she graduated" stewing, hardening, and cultivated a new personality, tattoos and all.

I enjoyed the script as well-the elevator scene was hilarious.

Also Stiles' best performance, easy. Give 'em good dialogue and let 'em run with it.

Perhaps you are simplifying it yourself, Paula was a mean person who used the crime of accusing someone of something they did not do to get to someone for her own pleasure. No one is looking at this from the accused point of view. How would you like to be in his situation and others used she was a whatever as a excuse, where would that leave you. There is no excuse for what she did. And the guy was the one who paid the price.

[deleted]

I think Paula basically did it for the lulz. Shes writing the "non-fiction" stories but who knows if thats going anywhere, Julias seemed like a a decent judge of character I think her description of Paula as basically a spoiled rich girl going through a phase is probably correct. Of course Paula is disturbed (who isnt?)( I wouldnt call her a psycopath though), her "anger and control" issues speech seemed to be as much about her as it is about Julia, she basically gets off screwing with people for that reason.

Oh and I think the photograpahs are about "control" you cant be much more in control than when someone is passed to the point you can take pictures and write on them, and the picture proves it to the "victim".