Sometimes there are great stories about sad subjects, but dismal, unrelenting gloom alone does not make for great literature or a great movie.
Yes, the acting and the cinematography are excellent, and yes, there is the occasional spark of insight to escape the murk... But take my word for it, it's not enough. The sympathetic characters, apart from the young girl, are so desperately shy they struggle to communicate feelings at all. The bad are snobbish, manipulative and corrupt while others are tongue-tied and surly, or petty-minded and pointless.
Prodigious talents are wasted on this story, derived from a semi-autobiographical novel by Penelope Fitzgerald. Film maker Isabel Coixet has apparently mucked with the story quite a lot and perhaps the fact that she's Catalan Spanish shows.
Emily Mortimer's character, Florence Green, shows some spirit at first, but sadly, she struggles to relate to most adults and lacks intuition. The truth can hurt, but I'm not at all sure that's a good reason to inflict the story on the rest of us.
Bill Nighy performs his few lines beautifully, but his is scarcely more than a cameo. Sadly the first time I would not recommend a film with him in it. 4/10
Yes, the acting and the cinematography are excellent, and yes, there is the occasional spark of insight to escape the murk... But take my word for it, it's not enough. The sympathetic characters, apart from the young girl, are so desperately shy they struggle to communicate feelings at all. The bad are snobbish, manipulative and corrupt while others are tongue-tied and surly, or petty-minded and pointless.
Prodigious talents are wasted on this story, derived from a semi-autobiographical novel by Penelope Fitzgerald. Film maker Isabel Coixet has apparently mucked with the story quite a lot and perhaps the fact that she's Catalan Spanish shows.
Emily Mortimer's character, Florence Green, shows some spirit at first, but sadly, she struggles to relate to most adults and lacks intuition. The truth can hurt, but I'm not at all sure that's a good reason to inflict the story on the rest of us.
Bill Nighy performs his few lines beautifully, but his is scarcely more than a cameo. Sadly the first time I would not recommend a film with him in it. 4/10