Betrayal (1983)

The adulterous love affair between Jeremy Irons and his best friend’s wife Patricia Hodge is told in reverse chronological order from a meeting two years after the affair ended to the first moments when Irons’s indicated his attraction to Hodge. Based on the semi autobiographical play of the same name written by Harold Pinter, the narrative is intriguing for its real life implications and innovative backwards storytelling. My biggest complaint would be to Ben Kingsley’s role as the cheated on spouse. His somewhat cool removed comes across as if he were aware of the affair from the beginning and just didn’t care, which seems to be at odds with the tale as laid out.

Oscar Nomination: Best Writing, Screenplay Based on Material from Another Medium