Review of On the Edge

At first glance, On the Edge appears to be a light comedy or romance. A smiling Andie McDowell appears on the cover. However, although there is a bit of both in each of the three connected films in this work, there is much, much more. The film begins with an overbearing movie executive being made to watch film footage by his equally determined secretary. The first story concerns a woman named Hannah in the near future. It is Hannah's birthday but her day is anything but celebrative, at first. The population of earth is very large and a central computer decides everyone's fate. You are a student, a worker, or you are given an "adjustment", which means you have something done to your brain that makes you happy despite having no future prospects of employment. Hannah is dropped as a student and is too educated for most jobs available. Will she concede to an adjustment? In the second story, an intelligent doctor is dying of cancer. He experiments in making a duplicate of himself which will, in essence, allow him to live longer. But, even where genes are identical, are two people the same? And, if an old love returns, which one of you will fall in love with her? The third and final segment is about "metaphysical" love, in this case a love that supersedes space and time. Is it possible to romance someone else while you are at home with your husband the whole time? What an interesting topic, to say the least. If you somehow come in contact with this movie, do not hesitate to sit down and watch it. Although the first story is the best one, all three are something special. The ensemble of actors here is superb and the scripts, costumes, settings, and concepts are all wonderful. You might be viewing "on the edge" to experience this film, but its unique qualities make for a great change of pace in cinematic fare.