***SPOILERS*** ***SPOILERS*** This film struck me as a story of undying love, surrounded by lies and betrayal. The story revolves around three main characters. There is a naïve young woman named May who is part of an upper class family in New York. As well as her fiancé, Newland, who is a business man and also a part of an upper class family. And May's cousin, Ellen, a duchess who is temporarily in New York to escape her negligent husband. From the very moment that Newland sets eye on the duchess, you just know that he will fall in love with her, for she is far more sophisticated and mature than May. Newland soon finds himself having a passionate affair with his fiancé's cousin. He is torn between the innocent young girl he gave his heart to long ago and the worldly enchantress who represents everything he has ever longed for. I didn't enjoy this film very much until the very end. The unsuspected little twist was what made me look back at all the aspects of the film with understanding. It made me sympathize and even begin to like a character (May), whom I thought was too naïve, meek, and dimwitted throughout the entire film. She was actually a lot smarter than I thought and it was a shame that she had to die before her husband could realize it as well.
Review of The Age of Innocence
