trite though they can be, i can be a bit of a sap for certain romance movies. i adore carey mulligan, so i went for this because it was on hbogo.

but the plot of this was far too hasty to truly feel anything for the characters. sure, i rooted for everyman gabriel, as the movie intends, but it moves so quickly that i don’t believe any true affection (s/o father john misty) could be fostered. the timeline is ambiguous; each scene could be the next day or the next month as there’s no true timing mechanism. after watching, i read the plot on the wikipedia page for the book, and the characters' actions made more sense due to more buildup. i could see myself perhaps enjoying the book’s original version of the story, but this film wasn’t convincing enough.

halfway through, mulligan’s casting began to reek of channeling itself as a sort of reverse/happy-ending great gatsby – courtship, indecisive woman played by mulligan, rags-to-riches underdog, etc.

it also seemed a bit misogynistic; the lone independent woman in this 19th century england could have been a beacon of aptitude, but instead falls back on a man to save her at every turn. a lot of this is the culture, and she does hold her own at plenty, but the theoretical hand holding throughout subverts any of her saving graces.

however, mulligan and matthias schoenaerts get the best out of the roles, showing their chemistry and affection through glances and eye contact, despite the poorly staged plot and at times lame dialogue (especially in their final monologues). it’s in these performances, and the beauty of the english countryside, that the movie finds redemption, but even to a lowkey romance sap like myself who often rewatches lost in translation, eternal sunshine of the spotless mind, and the notebook, the redemption was minimal.

The hype as a rare combo of blockbuster hit and high quality art at the same time was warranted. Very entertaining, and Tom Hardy remains one of my favorite actors.

I didn’t (and still don’t) know much about the original movies, but going in I thought Fury Road was going to be a remake rather than a chronological progression, so I plan to watch the original movies at some point now to fill in the missing pieces.