Pieter is in a stew on the phone as Jan barges in and rattles forth a monologue about his plans for a Cabinet post possibly going awry. Having fought with his wife, he wants to stay over but not to hear that bureaucrat Pieter may have stolen and sold pieces from his Culture Council's storerooms of unwanted art. It's now valuable and wanted for an exhibition. The lawyer he may need also soon wants to crash at Pieter's: Tom, a newly rehabbed addict. To complete the circle of 40ish buddies-since-college, actor Maarten comes with an invitation to the latest "neo" drama he's directed in which Jan's daughter, 18, has a part. Admitting he hasn't been "trapped by success," Maarten sounds the dark side of each man's status, somewhere between his ambitions and achievements.
To celebrate Jan's birthday, the guys - funnily imitating the Blues Brothers - bring him a stripper. Her Caesarian scar, however, makes Jan recall the birth of his daughter and original love for his wife. What Jan rejects, Martin returns to demand (for his share of the prostitute's pay), setting the friends at odds for now. And they will be again, with betrayals soon coming fast, meaning breakups, retreats, and one ultimate disaster.
Cloaca is like That Championship Season without a coach or winning past for the friends to recall. Most of their memories are of points from which they went wrong, or at least, didnt "go right" enough into the present.
The men's friendships are even more shallow than those in Art. Each references himself. Perplexed Pieter wins the most sympathy, possibly because of Stephen Tompkinsons take on him, never flaunting his homosexuality with exaggerated gestures or neuroses. All the actors seem to have bonded as their characters once had. Director Kevin Spacey makes them work as an ensemble and gets a tough performance out of the sole woman too.
Musical bridges work well in dividing and setting scenes in the spiffy apartment. What could be improved are the hackneyed expository devices at the start. Also, the title -- Latin for "sewer" -- is used as a code word by the four characters and may hint at where their aspirations have gone to. I think it may repel more potential audiences than it attracts.
