Regardless of genre or target audience, 's characters have a long history of dramatic romance. From the actor's musical outings in films like andto Seyfried's darker turns in and , the performer has taken part in a compelling set of diverse love stories over the years. The majority of Seyfried's most well-known performances tend to focus on younger characters and settings, however, so should check out director 's 2009 erotic thriller, . A tense blend of sex and suspense, Egoyan's film is a cinematic update to director 's 2003 film ... that features Seyfried in the title role, with the movie's intersecting themes of sexuality, beauty, and marital fidelity all offering a thought-provoking watch.

Following the broad strokes of Nathalie...'s basic plot, Egoyan's Chloe centers around Catherine Stewart (), a wealthy gynecologist, mother, and devoted wife who finds herself navigating a familiar predicament for many middle-aged adults—the disillusionment of an unfulfilling personal life. Stuck in a passionless marriage with her husband, David (), a music professor and almost any nearby woman, Catherine subsequently suspects David's infidelity. Moore's character doesn't act on her suspicions, however, until a fateful meeting with Seyfried's Chloe in the bathroom of a fancy hotel. Successfully guessing that Chloe is a professional escort, in the act.

The premise of the pair's agreement is simple. Catherine provides Chloe with information about her husband in an attempt to instigate a sort of meet-cute between the two and test whether David will make an unfaithful move, and Chloe is then supposed to report back. In the process of recalling her encounters with David, however,, with each of Chloe's descriptions becoming more and more graphic and both women becoming enamored with their retellings. In this regard, Chloe offers a beautiful mend to what appears to be a broken marriage. As Catherine admits later in the film, neither she nor David has made a habit of touching the other in a long time, yet . At the same time, Catherine also begins to develop a desire for Chloe herself, resulting in both women being forced to confront their rapidly evolving intimacy.

While Chloe aspires to rank among Hollywood's best romantic thrillers,and Seyfried in particular delivers a performance that manages to balance the self-confidence of an experienced professional with the earnest excitement of someone genuinely falling in love. Even when Chloe unveils the big third-act twist it inherits from Fontaine's film, , making it possible to root for her even as the audience is clued in to more and more of her character's manipulations, and Chloe targets Catherine's son () to both punish and remain close with the woman she loves. As a result, while Chloe likely wouldn't be listed among the actor's best movies, Seyfried's performance is.

This relatable delivery is especially important because it is surrounded by no small number of cinematic flaws, as noted by the film's many critics. While Catherine eventually reveals her suspicions were originally driven by insecurities over her age and appearance that are endemic to a society that disproportionately correlates youth with beauty, , nor does the film dedicate sufficient time to unpacking the nuanced desires interwoven throughout David and Catherine's relationship. In fact, as a result of a rushed third act, that stain an otherwise interesting premise. The film's ending in particular extracts its vengeful thrills from the harmful trope of the predatory bisexual, and the additions made to Nathalie...'s original ending likewise reinforce the negative stereotype of the tragic sex worker.

That said, while Chloe's characterization jumps from lovestruck to obsessive seemingly overnight, Chloe still offers plenty of enjoyable moments for those who approach the film with an open mind. The relationship between Seyfried's Chloe and Moore's Catherine, and though the film does a poor job of speaking to it, Catherine's relationship with the escort actually tells an interesting story of failed queer becoming. Despite learning how to act on her desires from Chloe, Catherine is ultimately unable to embrace the emotions that thrill her, making Chloe as much a relatable tale of faltering identity as it is .