(USA/UK, 109 min.)
Dir. Simon Curtis, Writ. Alexi
Kaye Campbell
Starring: Helen Mirren, Ryan
Reynolds, Tatiana Maslany, Katie Holmes, Daniel Brühl, Max Irons.
 |
| Helen Mirren and Ryan Reynolds star in Woman in Gold. Photo: Robert Viglasky / eOne Films |
The spirit of Philomena lives on in Woman in Gold! This crowd-pleasing
historical dramedy puts Dame Helen Mirren in Dame Judi Dench’s shoes as Maria
Altmann takes a cue from Philomena Lee by confronting the past to find peace in
the present. Altmann enlists the help of rookie lawyer Randol Schoenberg (Ryan
Reynolds, an unexpected co-star for Mirren) to reclaim a painting of her aunt Adele
that was taken decades before and was assumed to be lost to an Austrian museum forever
until new details surfaced in the letters of Altmann’s late sister. The case
isn’t so simple, though, since said painting is Gustav Klimt’s famous “Adele Bloch-Bauer I,” which is valued at over $130 million, and it was stolen by the Nazis
during the Holocaust.
This painting therefore holds a story much larger than that which is etched on the placard of the museum wall. Woman in Gold might be as conventional and as pleasant as a paint-by-numbers portrait, but it smartly brings the fuller picture as it paints the backstory of Maria and Adele’s plight. Maria tells a story of a greater collective loss as she builds a case and argues why Austria should surrender the portrait. The painting becomes a symbol of Austria’s participation in the atrocities of Nazism as Maria revisits the memories that she wants to reconcile by bringing the truth behind the prized painting to light. Woman weaves past and present as Maria relives her final days in Austria, and the contrast draws out the greater fight in Maria’s case: she wants Austria to admit its ongoing complicity in Nazism and anti-Semitism by denying people like her their legitimate connections to their homeland, their pasts, and their families.
Mirren and Reynolds are a fun odd
couple as the unlikely duo of actors gamely plays the mismatched pair. Woman in Gold frequently soars thanks to
the calibre of the performances and Mirren is characteristically strong as the
film lets her appeal to a range of heartstrings at which she tugs warmly and
effortlessly. See a hint of Queen Elizabeth II in Mirren’s stately poise as she
presents a woman who carries herself with confidence, character, and dignity:
this headstrong Maria holds the same grace as the woman of Klimt’s painting,
which offers further unspoken evidence of the painting’s rightful owner.
There’s a dash of Meryl Streep’s Julia Child, too, in the larger-than-life
comedic side of Maria Altmann that frequently makes Woman in Gold a winner. Mirren inflects her character with a grand
curmudgeonliness and makes Maria the perfect granny to Reynolds’ plucky,
directionless upstart. Canadian rising star Tatiana Maslany plays the young
Maria Altman in the wartime scenes, and she effectively matches Mirren’s
spunkiness and strength that defines Maria throughout the film.
Director Simon Curtis (My Week with Marilyn) competently
balances the bubbliness of the contemporary storyline with the comparatively
grimmer scenes of the past. The flashbacks emphasize family, heritage, legacy,
and tradition as Maria recalls her fondest memories with her beloved parents
who died in the Holocaust and her aunt Adele (played by Antje Traue) who
inspired Klimt with her class, grace, and charm. Maria shares these same traits
with Randol as their lawsuit takes her back to Vienna for the first time since
the war, which encourages her to teach the young man the heritage he seems to
have forgotten. Maria, after all, seeks a landmark case to help people remember
their past.
The heart of Maria’s plight seeks
to make everyone feel safe and welcome at home, and to remember how "Adele" found its way into the Austrian government’s possession so that such
injustices do not happen again. They’re happening now, though, just as Woman in Gold reaches a new audience and
the context in which the film finds itself should give pause for more consideration
than the film received previously when it premiered at Berlin earlier this year.
As both Marias persevere against the hard blow of Nazism, Woman in Gold finds a relevance to today as newspapers and media
outlets abound with stories of a new law that grants American business owners
the right to deny service on the basis of religion. While it’s true that the
logic behind Indiana’s Religious Liberty Law doesn’t hold the same logic or
methodology (and, one could argue, severity) of the Holocaust, one can’t help
but feel the resonance as young Maria sees her neighbours violated and
humiliated simply for being who they are. Governments don’t learn and history seems
bound to repeat itself in various guises, but this one woman’s quest to bring
peace is a lesson worth taking. Woman in
Gold might be an enjoyable lark, but it’s an unexpectedly urgent one as
well.
Rating: ★★★ (out of ★★★★★)
Woman in Gold is now playing in limited release.
