Each of the four central characters, Helen, James, Gerry and Lydia, can be recognized by individual and distinct traits that differentiate them from one another. The protagonist, Helen, is a hard-working woman with relatively low self-confidence and who is often skeptical of people and good news that comes into her life. After losing her job, Helen took on numerous part-time jobs to make ends meet and, at the same time, started her own public relations business. James is a kind and successful man who works to cheer Helen up and also owns his own business. However, James is not entirely honest with Helen, as he hides the fact that he is married to Claudia. Gerry, unlike James, can be characterized as a fickle man, both dependent on Helen's support and deceptive. Gerry's inability to choose between Helen and Lydia, his persistent lies to Helen and even Russell, and lack of income are all contributing factors to his characterization. Lydia is the opposite of Helen. She is an aggressive and conniving woman who is emotionally dependent on Gerry. His constant phone calls, his plotting to inform Helen of the affair, and his stalking tendencies add to his "under stress" status. Although we can align ourselves with each of these characters, their actions all cause us to ally ourselves only with Helen and James. Howitt uses a sound bridge to connect the shot of Gerry helping a drunk Helen into bed with the next shot, in which Gerry blames himself for almost getting caught cheating. At this point, the audience feels disgusted by Gerry's lies. He should feel bad for lying, not for almost getting caught. While talking to himself in the mirror, Gerry says, "You catch yourself in the mirror again... middle of paper ......ry and Lydia, while making them applaud for their relationship." between Hélène and James. Staging elements, such as lighting, choice of clothing and decor, all help to enhance this contrast. Although the film represents a relatively short period in Helen's life, many life-changing events occur during this time. Howitt punctuates these major events with the image of sliding doors, thus emphasizing the central theme of the film: chance, possibility and change. Our allegiance to Helen is inevitable, as we follow her story and are led to understand and agree with her motivations; therefore, it is the allegiance, or non-allegiance, to the other characters that Howitt must work hardest to elicit in the audience and he does this by manipulating each character's actions to suit their needs and achieving a certain public reaction..