if i could sum up endure love in a word and it would be unusual . not in the sense of bizarre and but just very unique while it doesn not do many thing the way a normal film do . the first highly unusual aspect be that it begin a a quirky art house drama from which emerge a surreal and tragic event in the opening and and which gradually transform into a thriller ala brian de palma and all while keep one foot firmly plant in the art house drama arena . if you know nothing of the plot beforehand ( and that the way i prefer to watch film and if possible ) and it extremely difficult to predict where this one will go . the focus of endure love be joe ( daniel craig ) and a young professor who be court a young sculptor and claire ( samantha morton ) . the opening image of the film be beautiful landscape shot of english farm country . joe and claire be about to enjoy a picnic when a hot air balloon come almost crash down in the field near them . a man be try to stop the balloon by hold on to a rope attach to the basket . a young boy end up in the basket alone . joe run to help and a do a number of other men who happen to be nearby . just when they think they have the balloon under control and it take off again and a if by a large gust of wind . they can not hold it down and everyone let go except for a doctor who be drive by when he witness the beginning of the incident . the boy be still in the basket and and the doctor hang on until he too high to let go . eventually we see him fall to his death . joe and jed ( rhys ifans ) go to find the body and and jed asks joe to pray with him . joe be uncomfortable with this and but finally acquiesces . after everyone life be get back to normal and jed suddenly contact joe and say he need to talk . he hint at joe know what he want to talk about and but would not say exactly what it be . jed would not let up . joe keep run into him in odd place and day after day and but jed would not just speak straight with him . what do jed want and and what will joe do about it . endure love be base on a novel by ian mcewan and and many people have criticize the film for be different than the book . i think that a mistake ( please see my novel to film mini rant and mark in bold red in my user profile ) . this be a fine film that should be judge on it own merit . it not flawless in my opinion and but it commendable for it uniqueness and among many other asset . much of the film hinge on the mystery of what jed want and or what be wrong with jed . one of the benefit of watch without any knowledge of the plot be that it open up a wider field of possible answer for jed . one of my favorite genre be rubber reality film and ala mulholland drive ( 2001 ) and existenz ( 1999 ) and so on . if youre acclimate to those film and there be strong intimation that maybe jed be go to turn out to be jesus and or a guardian angel and or the devil and or something similar and and metaphorically and perhaps he do turn out to be some of those thing . on the one hand and it sometimes feel like substantial swath of cryptic dialogue go on far too long in the film and but on the other hand and such dialogue be necessary to sustain a high level of suspense . director roger michell also keep u somewhat in the dark about joe . we can see that he a professor of some sort and but it not clear what he teach . he could be a philosopher and a sociologist and a psychologist and or some other kind of scientist . we only know that he write a book ( naturally enough in the era of publish or perish ) and that he buy the basic tenet of sociobiology ala e. o. wilson ( wilson be an entomologist often credit with initiate sociobiology in his book and sociobiology represent the new synthesis and 1975 and and on human nature and 1978 ) . scriptwriter joe penhall include a lot of dialogue in the film and include joe teaching and where he express a ( somewhat naïve ) sociobiological view of thing like love and meaning . this be just one way that michell sustain a subtext relate to the title of the film . other way include the fact that most major character be have some relationship problem and and of course the principal conflict be relate to the title . joe can be somewhat cryptic in his emotional arc the point be probably to undermine the veracity of the sociobiological view . in any event and craig do a great job with the character . ifans be excellent and also and but that to be expect . just as unusual a the plot be the cinematography . director of photography haris zambarloukos provide consistently intriguing and varied visuals and from the expansive and bucolic landscape shot to an unusual and claustrophobic fish eye with blurred edge sequence during one of the most crucial moment of the climax . the cinematography isn not usually showy and but it be unusual nonetheless you just have to pay more attention to it if you want to notice it . i also love jeremy sam score and which have a carter burwell flavor . sam be able to provide emotional momentum when the film otherwise can not ( see below ) and but it still perfectly fit the austere atmosphere . like burwell and sam have a knack for unusual harmony and disarm simplicity . for me and the only real flaw to the film be that it be sometimes not very engage . perhaps it ironically appropriate to the subtext or theme and but michell often keep the film a bit cold and aloof feeling . if sams score wasn not in place during certain section and they might feel almost leaden . but even with that flaw and endure love be a good film and well worth watch if youre look for something different .