Chloe (2009)

Chloe is a 2009 Canadian-French erotic thriller film directed by Atom Egoyan and written by Erin Cressida Wilson. The movie explores themes of jealousy, desire, and deception within a complex and psychologically charged storyline. Here’s a brief overview of the film:

The story centers on a married couple, Catherine Stewart (played by Julianne Moore) and David Stewart (played by Liam Neeson), who live in Toronto. Catherine, a successful gynecologist, becomes increasingly suspicious of her husband’s fidelity. To test her suspicions, she hires an escort named Chloe (played by Amanda Seyfried) to seduce David and report back to her.

Chloe begins her assignment, and as she interacts with David, Catherine’s initial curiosity turns into obsession as she learns more about their encounters. The film delves into the complex relationships that develop between the three main characters, exploring themes of trust, power dynamics, and sexual identity.

“Chloe” is known for its sensuality and provocative content, but it also delves into psychological and emotional aspects of the characters’ lives. As Chloe’s involvement deepens, the film takes unexpected and dark twists, leading to a series of tense and suspenseful moments.

The film received mixed reviews from critics but is often praised for the performances of the lead actresses and its exploration of human desires and relationships. It’s a character-driven thriller that explores the blurred boundaries between love and obsession.

Chloe Plot Summary

The story begins with a beautiful young woman named Chloe who narrates about her job as a call girl saying that it is part of her job to know how to please her clients with words and actions.

A gynecologist named Catherine watches her from her clinic’s window. Her secretary calls her for her next appointment.

Catherine’s husband David is a college professor who is currently doing lectures in New York. In the middle of his lecture, a hot student tells him they would like to take him out for dinner. He declines because it is his birthday and he’s got to fly back home to Toronto. And his students sing Birthday song to him.

Catherine prepares a surprise birthday party for her husband and tells the guests David will arrive any minute. David later calls and tells his wife that he cannot make it because he missed his flight. We then later see that the hot student is right behind waiting for him. She tells the guests David could not make it but there is no need to stop the party. After the party, Catherine cries while wiping her face.

Next morning, David apologizes and says he did not know there was a surprise party for him. He leaves earlier than usual and tells his wife he will be home late again. Catherine sees her son Michael come out of his room with his girlfriend in their underwear. Michael says his dad knows it and he seems to not have a good relationship with his mother. David left his phone and Catherine sees a message from his student saying thanks for last night and has the picture of them.

That night, the couple goes to dinner with their friends. David flirts with the waitress asking what she likes to drink, and Catherine gets upset. She goes to the bathroom teary eyed. She hears a woman crying in the next stall and Catherine asks if is there anything she can help. The woman asks for toilet paper and Catherine hands her some. She then says that men are jackass and Catherine agrees. The woman then goes out of her stall, and it is Chloe. She thanks Catherine and offers her hairpin. She refuses politely and goes back to their table. Catherine watches Chloe as she sits back next to her client, and she looks back at her. As they drive home, Catherine confronts David about him flirting with the waitress. She also asks him if he intentionally missed his flight and has a drink, and David says no.

The next evening, Catherine gets into the hotel bar where Chloe waits for potential clients. Chloe sits next to her and starts to flirt. Chloe says she does not usually meet with women and Catherine tells her that she thinks her husband is cheating. She wants Chloe to meet him to test and confirm if it is true.

The next day, Chloe goes to the coffee shop where David spends his morning. She borrows his sugar and later stares at him. David stares back and smiles. That afternoon, Chloe tells Catherine that nothing happened. She says David just flirted a little and was just being friendly when he asked her name and if she is a student. Catherine asks how is she able to do what she does. Chloe says she just tries to find something to love in everybody no matter how small it is. Catherine then pays her and asks her to meet David one last time to see what will he do.

That night, Catherine catches David giggling while chatting with someone on the internet and walks out. She later overhears her son talking on a video call crying. His girlfriend is breaking up with him. Catherine opens the door and Michael angrily curses and jumps to close the door.

Catherine is upset and goes back to David who quickly closes his conversation online. She tells her husband that their son is dumped by his girlfriend. Catherine worries because her son does not talk to her. David tells her that Michael is going to be fine. He takes a bottle of scotch, and the couple shares the drink. David flirts with her and she smiles. They are about to get intimate, but David says he has got a lot of paper to read, and Catherine tells him he should get to work and smiles.

The next day, Catherine overhears Michael talking to his dad on the phone. He talks about how he loves his girlfriend and asks his father if it was the same when he first met his mom. Michael talks about how his dad loves to tell him story of how he met his mother and that his mom is the most beautiful woman his dad has ever seen. Catherine smiles listening to this.

She later meets Chloe at a bar and tells her she no longer needs to see her husband anymore because she feels reassured about him. Chloe tells her that she already met David. She narrates how they met at the café again and had lunch. Chloe added that she and David went to a garden where they kissed passionately, and she felt that he was aroused. Catherine is disappointed and leaves.

She is about to enter her car when she sees Chloe fall off her bike. Catherine treats her bruise and when Chloe takes off her pantyhose, Catherine becomes uneasy. Later on, that evening, Chloe narrates more details of her meetup with David, and she confesses that she gave pleasure to him using her hand. Catherine asks Chloe if she is clean of disease and she assures her that she is, and she will give her the test results. Catherine drives home crying and imagining what Chloe had told her. She later lies in bed beside David who is still wide awake and looks anxious.

The next day, Chloe goes to Catherine’s office bringing her test results. While waiting, Chloe overhears Michael asking the receptionist for his tuxedo and learns that he is Catherine’s son. While copying sheets for his recital, Chloe approaches Michael and flirts with him. Chloe later gives the test results and reminds Catherine that she is meeting David again as they have agreed. Michael gets his tuxedo, and he is still cold with his mother as he leaves without even thanking her.

While having lunch with her friends, Catherine receives a message from Chloe telling her the room of the hotel. Her friends notice her odd behavior and thinks that Catherine is having an affair and she denies it and leaves. At the hotel, Catherine enters the room and Chloe tells her that David slept with her there. Chloe narrates the details and instead of getting mad, Catherine starts to get aroused. She hands the payment to Chloe, and they later leave the room. Catherine tells how David and her used to be full of love before. She sits down and starts to cry. Chloe kneels down to console her, then she suddenly kisses her. Catherine is shocked and leaves.

Later that evening, Catherine attends her son’s piano recital and sits far from David. After the recital, Catherine sees her husband talking with a waitress. David approaches her and kisses her hands. A female student suddenly calls David which made Catherine more disappointed, so she leaves.

Catherine goes to the hotel and interrupts Chloe who is talking with a client. The two go to a room where Chloe comforts her by kissing and caressing her all over. The two ladies are later humping.

They then ride a cab home. Catherine asks Chloe not to see her husband again. Before she leaves, Chloe offers her hairpin again and ask Catherine if she will see her again. Catherine could not answer and tells her that she is exhausted, then she leaves.

When Catherine enters their house, she sees David waiting for her. He asks her who is she cheating with, and Catherine responds angrily telling him he was the one who cheated first. David yells saying he never had an affair. Michael interferes and they tell him to leave them alone and he angrily leaves.

At her office, Catherine finds out she has several urgent missed calls from Chloe and an email that contains a picture of the two naked in bed. She quickly calls and asks Chloe where she is, and she says that she was just in her waiting room the whole time. She enters the office carrying flowers and Catherine locks the door. Catherine confesses that she enjoyed their romance, but they need to stop. She writes a check to pay her, and Chloe cries and tells her their relationship is real and has nothing to do with money. Catherine says that it was just business, and it is over, then she asks Chloe to leave. Chloe is devastated and wants revenge.

She later goes to Michael’s hockey practice and gives her a CD of the band they talked about before and flirts with him. She confesses that she stalked him on his social media account, and he smiles.

Catherine later receives a message from Chloe saying she met with David again. She calls her and Chloe says David is falling in love with her. Enraged, Catherine tells Chloe to meet her at a café.

At the café, David arrives. Catherine says she wants to set things straight and tell each other everything. David started with what happened in New York and he confesses that he lied. He missed his flight on purpose because he didn’t want to celebrate his birthday, so he stayed and had a drink. Catherine says she knows about Miranda and David says he never screwed his student. Chloe arrives surprised that David is there. David asks Catherine why she is staring at the girl and he obviously does not know Chloe. Chloe leaves and Catherine realizes that the stories Chloe told her about her affair with David are not true.

It is now Catherine’s turn, and she admits that she did have an affair, but she can’t say it. David is heartbroken and says he got tempted a lot of times but never gave in, so he leaves. Catherine runs after him and confesses that she conspired with a call girl named Chloe to test him. She narrates how Chloe made up a story and lied that David slept with her. Catherine admits that she has insecurities because of her old age and then confesses that she slept with Chloe. David hugs her and they kiss passionately.

Chloe goes to Catherine’s home and approaches Michael. They go to his parents’ room where Chloe finds her hairpin. She starts seducing Michael.

David has to hurry to the school, so he leaves. Catherine arrives home and at their room, she finds Michael on their bed beside Chloe. She sends Michael out of their room so she can talk with Chloe alone. Chloe tells her that she cannot just invite someone into their life and tell them to go away once she’s done using them. She tells Catherine that she is in love with her, and Catherine apologizes for misleading her.

Chloe takes her hairpin and threatens her with it. She asks Catherine to kiss her, and she does. Michael is able to get inside the room and when Catherine sees her son’s reflection, she gets startled and accidentally pushes Chloe to the window. She is still able to hold onto the glass but then she lets go and falls to her demise. The movie ends at their house where they are holding a graduation party for Michael. Months have already passed since the incident, but we can see that Catherine and Michael still mourns for Chloe’s death. When a guest calls her, Catherine looks behind and we can see that she is wearing the hairpin that Chloe gave her.

Watch movie recap here.