THE BEST OFFER (2013)

Geoffrey Rush, one of the finest actors working today, has never better than here, playing world-renowned auctioneer Virgil Oldman, an eccentric, solitary man in full control of both his life and those around him.  Living in Italy, Virgil dines in fine restaurants, lives in a home straight out of Architectural Digest, and is a man so guarded, he's never even known love (or great kindness) from a woman.  Enter Claire, a reclusive heiress seeking Virgil's help in valuating and cataloging her deceased parents' exhaustive furniture/art collection for auction.  Claire's inconsistencies of mood and lack of follow-through have Virgil abandoning the job at first, but soon he becomes obsessed with the oddly reclusive (she refuses to even meet him face to face) young woman, his heart softening as - for the first time in 60+ years on earth - he finds himself falling in love.  But this is no ordinary love story; there is a dark side even beyond Virgil's growing obsession with Claire, and the film has a few surprises in store - for Virgil and viewers - that you won't see coming. (rated R)  ****

THE BEST OFFER trailer