'The Winter Guest'
By Frank Scheck
MONTREAL -- Alan Rickman's directorial debut is the antithesis of the talented actor's juicy performances in films such as "Robin Hood" and "Die Hard". Solemn and marked by British restraint and understatement, "The Winter Guest" boasts superb acting from the real-life mother-daughter team of Phyllida Law and Emma Thompson.
Unfortunately, it is also extremely slow and contains practically no narrative drive whatsoever. This is the kind of "Masterpiece Theatre"-type effort in which a character's taking a bath serves as a dramatic high point. The film recently was showcased in the official competition at the Montreal World Film Festival, and a commercial release will come this year, courtesy of Fine Line.
"The Winter Guest" is set in a remote seaside town in Scotland during a harsh winter and is filled with a profusion of beautifully photographed images depicting the bleak landscape. They reflect the emotional despair of the film's leading characters, especially Frances Thompson), a photographer who is still grieving over the death of her handsome husband, a man seen in an endless series of photographs draped throughout her house.
The central drama of the film revolves around the prickly relationship between Frances and her elderly mother, Elspeth (Law), who we shortly discover is apparently suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.
Juxtaposed against their bickering are the doings of several other pairs of characters. They include two elderly women doddering around the town, two young boys engaging in a series of minor misadventures and Frances' son and his new girlfriend.
The film is largely composed of a series of low-key conversations, as the characters wander around one of the more depressing cinematic settings in recent memory.
"The Winter Guest" is subtle and restrained to such a degree that dramatic immediacy is sacrificed, although there are isolated moments that are powerfully moving.
There is no fault to be found in the performances, however: Thompson and Law work beautifully together, and their striking physical resemblance adds much resonance to their characters' interactions. The rest of the cast is equally effective, with particularly sterling work coming from young Douglas Murphy and Sean Biggerstaff as the rambunctious boys.
The film certainly looks beautiful, with Rickman getting the maximum dramatic mileage out of the wintry setting. Sometimes, too much mileage: Like many first-time directors, he betrays an overreliance on helicopter shots and lingering landscape views to create a bit of atmosphere.
THE WINTER GUEST
Fine Line Features
Director Alan Rickman
Screenwriters Alan Rickman,
Sharman Macdonald
Producers Ken Lipper,
Edward R. Pressman, Steve Clark-Hall
Director of photography Seamus McGarvey
Editor Scott Thomas
Composer Michael Kamen
Color/stereo
Cast:
Elspeth Phyllida Law
Frances Emma Thompson
Alex Gary Hollywood
Nita Arlene Cockburn
Lily Sheila Reid
Chloe Sandra Voe
Sam Douglas Murphy
Tom Sean Biggerstaff
Running time -- 110 minutes
No MPAA rating...
By Frank Scheck
MONTREAL -- Alan Rickman's directorial debut is the antithesis of the talented actor's juicy performances in films such as "Robin Hood" and "Die Hard". Solemn and marked by British restraint and understatement, "The Winter Guest" boasts superb acting from the real-life mother-daughter team of Phyllida Law and Emma Thompson.
Unfortunately, it is also extremely slow and contains practically no narrative drive whatsoever. This is the kind of "Masterpiece Theatre"-type effort in which a character's taking a bath serves as a dramatic high point. The film recently was showcased in the official competition at the Montreal World Film Festival, and a commercial release will come this year, courtesy of Fine Line.
"The Winter Guest" is set in a remote seaside town in Scotland during a harsh winter and is filled with a profusion of beautifully photographed images depicting the bleak landscape. They reflect the emotional despair of the film's leading characters, especially Frances Thompson), a photographer who is still grieving over the death of her handsome husband, a man seen in an endless series of photographs draped throughout her house.
The central drama of the film revolves around the prickly relationship between Frances and her elderly mother, Elspeth (Law), who we shortly discover is apparently suffering from the early stages of Alzheimer's disease.
Juxtaposed against their bickering are the doings of several other pairs of characters. They include two elderly women doddering around the town, two young boys engaging in a series of minor misadventures and Frances' son and his new girlfriend.
The film is largely composed of a series of low-key conversations, as the characters wander around one of the more depressing cinematic settings in recent memory.
"The Winter Guest" is subtle and restrained to such a degree that dramatic immediacy is sacrificed, although there are isolated moments that are powerfully moving.
There is no fault to be found in the performances, however: Thompson and Law work beautifully together, and their striking physical resemblance adds much resonance to their characters' interactions. The rest of the cast is equally effective, with particularly sterling work coming from young Douglas Murphy and Sean Biggerstaff as the rambunctious boys.
The film certainly looks beautiful, with Rickman getting the maximum dramatic mileage out of the wintry setting. Sometimes, too much mileage: Like many first-time directors, he betrays an overreliance on helicopter shots and lingering landscape views to create a bit of atmosphere.
THE WINTER GUEST
Fine Line Features
Director Alan Rickman
Screenwriters Alan Rickman,
Sharman Macdonald
Producers Ken Lipper,
Edward R. Pressman, Steve Clark-Hall
Director of photography Seamus McGarvey
Editor Scott Thomas
Composer Michael Kamen
Color/stereo
Cast:
Elspeth Phyllida Law
Frances Emma Thompson
Alex Gary Hollywood
Nita Arlene Cockburn
Lily Sheila Reid
Chloe Sandra Voe
Sam Douglas Murphy
Tom Sean Biggerstaff
Running time -- 110 minutes
No MPAA rating...
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