★ 6 / 10
Told by way of a retrospective triptych of
CinemaSerf
Told by way of a retrospective triptych of recollections from the now successful author "Jane" (Glenda Jackson), we are taken back in time to her younger self…
Told by way of a retrospective triptych of recollections from the now successful author "Jane" (Glenda Jackson), we are taken back in time to her younger self - Odessa Young - who portrays an orphaned young maid working in the home of the "Niven" family - Colin Firth and Olivia Colman. Over the course of the first portion of the film we learn that she has been having a dalliance with "Paul" (Josh O'Connor), the son of the neighbouring "Sheringham" family. The pair appear in love with each other, but he is promised elsewhere - what happens next? This features quite a delicate effort from Young, more remarkable because she appears in a great many scenes completely naked (as does O'Connor) - but not gratuitously so. It is the most natural of scenarios. There is nothing more odd in a film than scenes that show lust and sex then conclude with one or both miraculously having acquired underwear! Eva Husson offers us a glimpse of a romance that is gently plausible and engaging. That does, however, bring us to the rest of story. That's not so hot, and initially set after the end of WWI, steeps us in familial grief and sadness but without us really having anything like enough information to empathise nor commiserate. Cigarettes feature prominently too - like a sort of prop for the seductive but underused O'Connor and for his would-be bride (Caroline Harker). There is also something very predictable about this conclusion of this stage of her life, and the relationship between Firth and Young left me puzzled a bit. The second element sees "Jane" living in London with her new partner "Donald" (Sope Dirisu) - but that somehow dilutes the overall impact of the first element. It presents a rather sad chapter in her life, but to what end? Just to perpetuate the sensation that melancholia follows her around as night follows day? He is a man of colour, yet the relative rarity of that scenario in Britain at the time isn't in any way developed. Indeed, it just sort of peters out. The final scenes with Glenda Jackson are poignant. They depict a rather lonely - if stoic - old lady who, perhaps not unlike the lady herself, is looking back on her own life... It is a great looking film, lots of fine costumes and stately homes - but somehow it undercooks the primary element and clutters the story up with the others. It all felt just a little bit hollow.
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★ 6 / 10
stages of life - and memories
ferguson-6
Greetings again from the darkness. Every writer has a story about what inspired them to put words on the page. What we have here is Eva Husson directing a…
Greetings again from the darkness. Every writer has a story about what inspired them to put words on the page. What we have here is Eva Husson directing a script from Alice Birch (LADY MACBETH, 2016) who has adapted the 2016 novella from British author Graham Swift. We follow Jane Fairchild through three stages, as her work as a maidservant allows her to become "an occupational observer of life."
It's Mothers' Day 1924 and Jane (Odessa Young, SHIRLEY, 2020) is anticipating her latest romantic tryst with Paul Sheringham (Josh O'Connor, EMMA., 2020). Both know this is their final time together, and they take full advantage. Jane's employers, Godfrey and Clarrie Niven, are meeting Paul's parents for a celebratory luncheon with Emma (Emma D'Arcy), the 'proper' woman Paul is to marry. Oscar winner Colin Firth (THE KING'S SPEECH, 2010) and Oscar winner Oliva Colman (THE FAVOURITE, 2018) play the Nivens, and deaths from WWI hang over all of these families like the darkest of clouds.
The story is told in non-linear fashion, with Jane and Paul's final lovemaking session being that which all other events seem to revolve. We also spend some time with Jane in her 40's as she is living with her philosopher husband Donald (Sope Dirisu), and then in her 80's as she is celebrated as a renowned and prize-winning author. In this last stage, Jane is surprisingly played by the great Glenda Jackson, a two-time Oscar winner (A TOUCH OF CLASS, 1973, and WOMEN IN LOVE, 1969), who has only appeared in a handful of TV movies these past thirty years. Ms. Jackson turns 86 next month, and spent time as an elected member of Parliament. She's always been an interesting person, and it's terrific to see her back on the big screen - even if she only gets a couple of brief scenes followed by one substantial one near the end.
It's a beautiful film and it's sensuously photographed, though maybe a bit odd in that it focuses so diligently on the visuals (thanks to cinematographer Jamey D Ramsay), while actually following a woman's journey into writing. Love (or lack of it) and grief and life's transitions are all on display, as are the harsh realities of class differences. Ms. Young and Mr. O'Connor are both terrific, and though she has minimal screen time, we are stunned again at just how much emotion Ms. Colman can convey with her face.
Memories and recollections of "that day" play a crucial role as the mature Jane wrestles with writing her novel ... one that her publisher expects to be a thriller. Of course, we watch as Jane's story plays out, so we know where her writing is headed. The film has a vagueness to its storytelling that prevents us from ever fully engaging with Jane or any of the rich, sad people, yet it's such a beautiful film to look at that we never seem to mind.
In theaters on April 8, 2022.
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