A 2004 screen adaptation of the novel by Ian MacEwan, directed by Roger Michell, starring Daniel Craig, Rhys Ifans, Samantha Morton, Bill Nighy and Ben Whishaw.
Joe Rose (Craig), an atheist science journalist, is having a picnic with his common-law wife Clarissa when he hears a man shouting. Not far away, a balloon is floating off with an eight-year-old boy in it. Five men, including Joe, grab onto the ropes hanging from the balloon, but one of the men lets go in mid-air. The others quickly follow suit, excluding one man who dies when he falls from the rope. In the aftermath, Joe meets Jed (Ifans), a Christian fanatic who quickly develops an obsession with Joe that threatens Joe's relationship, his sanity, and his life.
This work provides examples of:
- Bitch in Sheep's Clothing: Joe acts politely towards the people he meets, particularly Mrs. Logan, yet describes her home in a rather nasty and condescending manner.
- Deus ex Machina: The hippies. How the hell does an upper-middle class journalist know hippies who would sell him a gun? Doubles over as a literal Chekhov's Gun.
- Stalker with a Crush: Jed.
- Unreliable Narrator: Joe can't even remember what flavour sorbet he had. He's also very closed minded.
- Yandere: Jed.
