This subdued but tender and gut-wrenching look at two people who desperately love each other but find their marriage unravelling because of the bottle has two genuinely moving performances from Andy Garcia and Meg Ryan. At first quietly touching, and as it progresses, ultimately heartbreaking, it is like watching a terrible car crash in slow motion.

Written by Ronald Bass and Al Franken, the beautiful photography of Lajos Koltai is in contrast to the sad music score of Zbigniew Preisner, highlighting the difference between appearances and the real picture just beneath the surface. Director Luis Mandoki begins the film in romantic fashion but soon begins to peel the onion, and expose a marriage in deep trouble.

Andy Garcia is amazingly good in an understated performance as a husband very much in love with a wife who has become a little too drunk a little too often. A pilot for a major airline, he has all the trappings of happiness: two adorable little girls, a nice home, a lovely wife. But he has no magic answers when he sees the woman he loves sliding ever so slowly down the tubes, and is at a loss what to do to stop it. Like any husband, Michael Green wants to fix things but can’t admit he doesn't know how.

Meg Ryan is flawlessly genuine as his wife, Alice Green. A trip to Mexico to ease the supposed pressure prompting her to drink too much, only puts a spotlight on how far she has fallen when a tragedy nearly occurs. But it is a moment alone with her oldest daughter which will finally force her into a treatment center.

Rather than cliches, this film shows there are no easy answers. Michael is disquieted then shocked at just how much the children saw and knew about their mother’s problem; things of which he himself was unaware.

When Alice returns and tries to readjust and you can truly feel the frustration of the couple, because the underlying problems still remain. Finally separating, Garcia is truly magnificent in scenes with the two young girls from Ryan’s previous marriage he considers his own.

Meg Ryan’s finest moment in the film comes near the end and should have put her into Oscar contention. Tina Majorino as their older daughter and Lauren Tom as their babysitter deserve mention as well. Quietly played performances with the thoughtful intelligence you see more often in foreign films seemed to work against the picture’s stars in this regard.

This film is ultimately about love and is quite romantic. It is a mature romance, however, devoid of pretense and not seen through rose-colored glasses. A beautifully conceived drama which leaves a lasting impression on the heart and a film everyone should see. A severely underrated and neglected film you need to watch. ( )