It's 1864 Virginia, 3 years into the Civil War. Amy finds wounded Yankee soldier Corporal John McBurney (Colin Farrell) in the woods and brings him back to Miss Martha Farnsworth (Nicole Kidman)'s Seminary for young girls. All the slaves have run away. Edwina Morrow (Kirsten Dunst) is the last remaining teacher and Alicia (Elle Fanning) is one of the older students. Martha decides to let the Yankee rest rather than turning him over to the Confederates. The situation heats up as the female occupants compete for the prisoners' attention.
Sofia Coppola delivers a quiet, sparse tale of female competitive power. McBurney is no saint either. It's an empty fleeting world especially with the slaves abandoning the mansion. There is something eerie about this creation. I do want for more tension or more horror like Misery. It's hard to sympathize with any of the characters. Maybe she should concentrate on Edwina as the only protagonist. This has a nice haunted vibe but I don't feel for anybody.
Sofia Coppola delivers a quiet, sparse tale of female competitive power. McBurney is no saint either. It's an empty fleeting world especially with the slaves abandoning the mansion. There is something eerie about this creation. I do want for more tension or more horror like Misery. It's hard to sympathize with any of the characters. Maybe she should concentrate on Edwina as the only protagonist. This has a nice haunted vibe but I don't feel for anybody.