AMMONITE
****
Director: Francis Lee
Screenplay: Francis Lee
Principal cast:
Kate Winslet
Saoirse Ronan
Gemma Jones
Fiona Shaw
Alec Secăreanu
James McArdle
Country: UK/Australia
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 120 mins.
Australian release date: 14 January 2021.
Following his stunning debut feature God’s Own Country (2017), Francis Lee has once again depicted the dilemma facing same-sex lovers in a claustrophobic environment that does not acknowledge their union. In Lee’s second feature, Ammonite, we are immersed in 19th century England, in Lyme Regis on the Dorset coast, in an environment as harsh and unforgiving as the situation the protagonists find themselves in. Loosely based on an historical figure about whom little has been written, Lee says he wanted his screenplay to examine “how difficult it can be to be open and vulnerable enough to love and be loved…” Indeed, this is the crux of his film, rather than a reproachful look at the oppressive social mores of the period.
Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) is a woman from a working-class background, a self-taught palaeontologist who spends her days searching for fossils which she cleans up and sells to tourists in order to support herself and her ailing mother, Molly (Gemma Jones). She is a recluse who is dedicated to her work, although her greatest discoveries are now in the past. While she was still a child, she discovered an extremely rare fossil of an entire ichthyosaurus, which is a prized exhibition at the British Museum although Mary has not been credited as its finder. Women were - surprise, surprise - not given their due back then as they lived in a patriarchal world in which they were regarded as lesser creatures. One day, a wealthy natural history enthusiast, Roderick Murchison (James McArdle), visits Mary in her rundown shop in Lyme Regis and entreats her to look after his wife, Charlotte (Saoirse Ronan), who is overcoming a tragedy and who he feels is not up for a planned European tour. Roderick is fascinated by Mary’s discoveries and believes that his wife would benefit from not only the fresh air but also the joy of discovering fossils and learning about them. The two women come from very different social backgrounds and have totally different personalities but soon they develop an attachment that will change their lives forever.
Winslet is brilliant, delivering a restrained performance that embodies the dour character she is portraying. At first, she is monosyllabic, curt and extremely private, almost rude, but as the relationship opens her up to a world which she has denied herself for years and as she becomes more familiar with Charlotte, her face gets softer and her demeanour more relaxed. Ronan is convincing as a young woman recovering from a tragic loss who finds the true meaning of friendship and love as she regains her health and zest for life. The support roles are also strong and subtle. Gemma Jones is excellent as the stern, yet understanding mother, who relies on her daughter for support and turns a blind eye to what is going on around her. Fiona Shaw shines as a resident of the village who was previously intimate with Mary but unable to break through her frosty exterior.
As with God’s Own Country, Lee does not hold back in presenting extremely passionate scenes between the couple and, in doing so, reveals the intensity of their relationship. It’s easy to see why the film has been given an MA classification. This is, after all, a love story that defies the social bounds of the period and yet achieves a sense of optimism. The director says, “I wanted to explore what this relationship might mean to someone who has not only been socially and geographically isolated but who has had to close off to any emotional life, where you replace affection and intimacy with work and duty. Where you’ve been overlooked and ignored your whole life because of your gender and social class.” He has succeeded in making a quietly commanding story about the transformative power of love, regardless of one’s sexual orientation. It will be interesting to see what he does next.
Screenplay: Francis Lee
Principal cast:
Kate Winslet
Saoirse Ronan
Gemma Jones
Fiona Shaw
Alec Secăreanu
James McArdle
Country: UK/Australia
Classification: MA15+
Runtime: 120 mins.
Australian release date: 14 January 2021.
Following his stunning debut feature God’s Own Country (2017), Francis Lee has once again depicted the dilemma facing same-sex lovers in a claustrophobic environment that does not acknowledge their union. In Lee’s second feature, Ammonite, we are immersed in 19th century England, in Lyme Regis on the Dorset coast, in an environment as harsh and unforgiving as the situation the protagonists find themselves in. Loosely based on an historical figure about whom little has been written, Lee says he wanted his screenplay to examine “how difficult it can be to be open and vulnerable enough to love and be loved…” Indeed, this is the crux of his film, rather than a reproachful look at the oppressive social mores of the period.
Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) is a woman from a working-class background, a self-taught palaeontologist who spends her days searching for fossils which she cleans up and sells to tourists in order to support herself and her ailing mother, Molly (Gemma Jones). She is a recluse who is dedicated to her work, although her greatest discoveries are now in the past. While she was still a child, she discovered an extremely rare fossil of an entire ichthyosaurus, which is a prized exhibition at the British Museum although Mary has not been credited as its finder. Women were - surprise, surprise - not given their due back then as they lived in a patriarchal world in which they were regarded as lesser creatures. One day, a wealthy natural history enthusiast, Roderick Murchison (James McArdle), visits Mary in her rundown shop in Lyme Regis and entreats her to look after his wife, Charlotte (Saoirse Ronan), who is overcoming a tragedy and who he feels is not up for a planned European tour. Roderick is fascinated by Mary’s discoveries and believes that his wife would benefit from not only the fresh air but also the joy of discovering fossils and learning about them. The two women come from very different social backgrounds and have totally different personalities but soon they develop an attachment that will change their lives forever.
Winslet is brilliant, delivering a restrained performance that embodies the dour character she is portraying. At first, she is monosyllabic, curt and extremely private, almost rude, but as the relationship opens her up to a world which she has denied herself for years and as she becomes more familiar with Charlotte, her face gets softer and her demeanour more relaxed. Ronan is convincing as a young woman recovering from a tragic loss who finds the true meaning of friendship and love as she regains her health and zest for life. The support roles are also strong and subtle. Gemma Jones is excellent as the stern, yet understanding mother, who relies on her daughter for support and turns a blind eye to what is going on around her. Fiona Shaw shines as a resident of the village who was previously intimate with Mary but unable to break through her frosty exterior.
As with God’s Own Country, Lee does not hold back in presenting extremely passionate scenes between the couple and, in doing so, reveals the intensity of their relationship. It’s easy to see why the film has been given an MA classification. This is, after all, a love story that defies the social bounds of the period and yet achieves a sense of optimism. The director says, “I wanted to explore what this relationship might mean to someone who has not only been socially and geographically isolated but who has had to close off to any emotional life, where you replace affection and intimacy with work and duty. Where you’ve been overlooked and ignored your whole life because of your gender and social class.” He has succeeded in making a quietly commanding story about the transformative power of love, regardless of one’s sexual orientation. It will be interesting to see what he does next.