the following morning’s break-
fast, where idle chit chat and
toast buttering irritate him to a
laughably over the top degree.
It’s during breakfast away from
home, in a small country café,
that Reynolds meets Alma (Vicky
Krieps), a pretty Eastern Europe-
an waitress who is won over by
his flirtatious charm and accepts
his invitation for a dinner date.
The relationship blooms quickly
and Reynolds invites her into his
home, teaching her the ways of
his trade.
It doesn’t take long for Alma’s
ways to begin annoying the
fiercely independent and some-
what narcissistic Reynolds, and
her presence begins to disrupt
his work - she’s become an anti-
muse! Reynolds’ assumption
that she will follow the other
women in his past and leave qui-
etly once exposed to his spoilt
brat boorishness couldn’t be
more wrong however. Alma is
NJ STAGE - ISSUE 43
determined to make the rela-
tionship work, even if she has to
take extreme measures.
Hell is other people, Reynolds
appears to believe, but they’re
useful to have around when
you’re sick. Literally haunted by
memories of his mother, the only
woman he seems to have truly
loved before meeting Alma,
Reynolds only fully appreciates
Alma’s affection when he falls
ill and is once again a little boy
seeking comfort in a woman’s
bosom. Once back on his feet
however, Reynolds returns to his
solipsistic state.
So extreme at times is Reyn-
olds’ emotional cruelty towards
Alma that she doesn’t know
whether to laugh or cry, and
you’ll find yourself in a similar
quandary, as Reynolds is an ut-
ter cad, but one whose barbs
are so cutting in that classic Brit-
ish manner that you’ll be rolling
in the aisles at some of his put-
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