"Ladies in Lavender" is like "Whales in August" crossed with "Swept from the Sea." Regardless of the slight period story, which peters out three-quarters through, it is a joy watching Judi Dench and Maggie Smith interact on screen together.
Dench gets to expand her portrayal of a childlike, somewhat mentally handicapped woman from a different direction than in "Iris." Her subtlety shows up all those actors who play such characters over the top, as we are never sure exactly how much this sister understands about the people and situations around her, protected as she is in a small, familiar town, because she just seems a bit off-kilter here and there, particularly in her emotional reactions. Dench makes her exploration of unfamiliar feelings touching, as the elderly spinster becomes ever more fascinated by the handsome stranger who washes up by the house she shares with her sister (Smith) who had a bit more exposure to the world before she retreated after the first world war to care for her.
Daniel Brühl only has brief flashes of how adorable he was in "Goodbye, Lenin!," coming across marginally less stiff than the object of the attention of an older woman in "Being Julia." Even playing a violin he does manage to inject some testosterone into the proceedings.
Natascha McElhone is also a bit bland, especially as her relationship with the violinist doesn't go the direction we're assuming it will, but then Joshua Bell's mesmerizing playing on the soundtrack probably trumps Brühl's appeal here.
The Cornwall scenery is lovely, and the movie is equally only lovely views.
This is the kind of movie that makes one wonder how the British managed to populate an empire without procreation.
Dench gets to expand her portrayal of a childlike, somewhat mentally handicapped woman from a different direction than in "Iris." Her subtlety shows up all those actors who play such characters over the top, as we are never sure exactly how much this sister understands about the people and situations around her, protected as she is in a small, familiar town, because she just seems a bit off-kilter here and there, particularly in her emotional reactions. Dench makes her exploration of unfamiliar feelings touching, as the elderly spinster becomes ever more fascinated by the handsome stranger who washes up by the house she shares with her sister (Smith) who had a bit more exposure to the world before she retreated after the first world war to care for her.
Daniel Brühl only has brief flashes of how adorable he was in "Goodbye, Lenin!," coming across marginally less stiff than the object of the attention of an older woman in "Being Julia." Even playing a violin he does manage to inject some testosterone into the proceedings.
Natascha McElhone is also a bit bland, especially as her relationship with the violinist doesn't go the direction we're assuming it will, but then Joshua Bell's mesmerizing playing on the soundtrack probably trumps Brühl's appeal here.
The Cornwall scenery is lovely, and the movie is equally only lovely views.
This is the kind of movie that makes one wonder how the British managed to populate an empire without procreation.