(Norway/UK/Ireland/France, 129 min.)
Written and directed by Liv Ullman
Starring: Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell, Samantha Morton
Programme: Special Presentations (World Premiere)
Here is a bizarre case. Miss
Julie contains a trio of great performances, some beautiful cinematography,
and handsome production value, but it has a deadness that I can't quite put my
finger on. One might fault the acclaimed source material by August Strindberg
for Miss Julie's stiffness, but that
almost seems unfair given the pedigree of the play and everyone in the
production. (And most period pics are as tight as a corset is, which
generally leaves this reviewer satisfied.) More than one the servants, John and
Kathleen (Colin Farrell and Samantha Morton), exclaim, “I'm tired, Miss Julie!”
as the spoiled Miss Julie (Jessica Chastain) plays with people as if they are
dolls. Audiences, too, might also be whimpering “I'm tired” to Miss Julie long before it ends.
Chastain is a marvel, though, in her realization of Miss
Julie's fragile psychology. Ullman's smartest bit of direction is to shoot much
of the film using close-ups of Chastain's classically beautiful face in the
natural light. The shadows hit her cheekbones at just the right angle to make
Miss Julie look ambiguously mad, and the frequent profiles of the tragic
heroine transform the beautiful star into a hot mess by the end. The dramatic
range on Chastain's face alone is worth the effort.
Colin Farrell is fairly good in a surprising departure into
period work. He's a dashing schmuck, heartfelt in his embodiment if the hopes
and desires of the working class as Miss Julie intoxicates him with wine and her
wealth. Samantha Morton, on the other hand, is heartbreaking as Kathleen.
Subtly devastating in contrast to Chastain's explosive crescendo of a
performance, Morton stands for another pole of the working class that has
resigned itself into passivity and grown content to play with the dogs. Miss Julie excels for its characters and
performances, so the riveting caliber of the acting does its part to make this
a beautiful film.
Ullman, however, does little to merit a return to Miss Julie besides finding three perfect
casting choices for the parts. The action shifts to Ireland and draws out some
social commentary, and Ullman finds an makes effective use of the grand
surroundings of Miss Julie’s estate, but she draws out the conversations and
running time (the play has some original material) to near-fatal length. Her final
composition, though, is a thing of beauty with its melancholy play on space,
colour, motion, and offscreen action, and Miss
Julie assuredly redeems herself in the end.
Rating: ★★★ (out of ★★★★★)
Please visit www.tiff.net for more information on this year’s
Festival.
Update: Miss Julie opens in Ottawa at The ByTowne on April 10.
Update: Miss Julie opens in Ottawa at The ByTowne on April 10.