Lizzie

"Lizzie" chronicles one of America's most famous crimes-the hatchet murders of prominent Massachusetts businessman Andrew Borden and his wife, Abby. The suspect? His spinster daughter, Lizzie, whose name has gone down in infamy.

Originally a passion project for star Chloë Sevigny, around whom talk has circled for nearly a decade regarding a Lizzie Borden biopic/miniseries, "Lizzie" is a well-made psychological drama that will likely satisfy as many people as it will utterly alienate. The screenplay here, as with any kind of historical fiction, takes liberties and makes speculations, the most singular being that Lizzie committed the murders after her father uncovered a romantic relationship between her and the Bordens' house servant, an Irish immigrant named Bridget Sullivan. While this is obviously speculative, when one actually sits and considers the written accounts and evidence, it is not necessarily unlikely, and is a position that has been argued by several historians and journalists. Did it really happen this way? We will never know for sure.

That aside, this take on the material is above-average in many ways: It's well-shot and atmospheric, with just the right touches of the Victorian Gothic. It's also remarkably well-acted, with Sevigny surprisingly turning in a convincing performance as Borden (as a huge fan of her work, I was personally skeptical of whether the role would fit her right). Kristen Stewart is perhaps more shockingly good as Bridget, the servant caught in the eye of the storm. I do feel the film stumbles a bit in terms of its narrative structure, as it begins with a snippet of the crime's "discovery," then loops back to the build-up before cutting away again just before the killings. The gritty details then are presented in a flashback which, though effective, I think would have better served as a straightforward conclusion in a chronological account. The court scenes that rear themselves in the last act, though brief, feel dull and ultimately draw the viewer out of the core narrative; and, given that the audience ostensibly already knows how it ends, I feel the filmmakers would have benefitted from laying the story out in a no-nonsense fashion.

Despite these narrative pitfalls, I still found "Lizzie" a compelling take on a rather common (and frankly well-supported) theory regarding the Borden murders. Did it happen exactly this way? Probably not. But there is potential truth here. And even if there's not, the story itself remains compelling all the same. 7/10.

I thought this was a pretty decent film well acted by Chloe Sevigny and I thought Kristen Stewart's accent work was good too. This film may fall under the horror category but except from the last 20 min or so, its not very horrifying. It's definitely more of a drama of a woman stifled by her time. But still very interesting at times. There are some moments here and there that do feel slow pacing wise.

The lesbian storyline doesnt bother me. No, its not a fact that Lizzie was one. Although to be fair its not like people were exactly "out and proud" then. And yes, it mostly came about as a theory/rumour because she never married. But nonetheless has been a theory so its not like this plot point comes out of nowhere to create a certain agenda.

I liked it, but it wasnt perfect. I think a 7 is fair.

As good as the performances are in this film, for a long, long stretch it is very slow and staid. Chloë Sevigny and Kristen Stewart are quite good as Lizzie Borden and Bridget Sullivan respectively. The film looks at Borden's relationship with Sullivan and speculates about its playing a central role in the notorious events that followed. A film taking place in 19th century New England, this is also an examination of how dreadfully repressive life was for women at that time. Sullivan is a household servant of the Borden family but soon finds herself being used in other ways in a patriarchal home.

The film is very much told from Lizzie Borden's standpoint, but does not give too much of a backstory, other than to portray her family as regarding her as insane and in need of institutionalization. In addition, giving the audience a more in-depth sense of Borden's life thereafter is something the film could have done and should have. With that kind of void, we are left wanting. Nevertheless, I recommend this to those curious enough about this story and anyone who admires the work of the two principals.

I watched this at home on DVD from our public library, my wife skipped, not her kind of movie.

Lizzie Borden is a well established historical figure in the USA. Living in Fall River, Massachusetts, still single and at home at 32, her father and stepmother were found murdered on August 4th, 1892. It was established that the murder weapon was a small ax, several types were found in the home.

Lizzie was always the prime suspect, she was arrested and went to trial in 1893. A jury deliberated for 90 minutes and returned a verdict of 'not guilty.' Of course 'not guilty' isn't the same as 'innocent' and ever since that trial various studies of the sordid affair mostly concluded that Lizzie really was the murderer. Since it was established that the stepmother died over an hour before the father, by inheritance laws the two Borden sisters inherited everything from both parents.

Chloe Sevigny says she has been fascinated by Lizzie for a number of years, here she is both producer and stars as Lizzie. Complemented well by Kristen Stewart as the Irish maid who formed a close friendship, in this movie depicted as a Lesbian attraction. This version depicts Lizzie as the culprit, but the prosecution was unable to provide evidence.

I am not a student of Lizzie Borden's life, I knew very little about the story going into viewing this movie. It is a quite good movie, all the characters come across as authentic. No one really knows for sure what all happened, and what led up to what happened, but this depiction is interesting and plausible.

The IMdb rating appears to be a bit low at 5.7 right now. I see that over 7% of the ratings are "1" which is absurd, those voters must have an agenda other than the quality of this movie. Anyone interested in the Lizzie Borden story would do well to see this movie.

The acting of Chloe Sevigny, Kristen Stewart, and Jamey Sheridan carries this film, as I see it. It's the latest interpretation of what happened on August 4th, 1892, in Fall River, Massachusetts, when the sensational axe murders of Andrew and Gabby Borden occurred in their home.

The movie is quite slow paced, and has several lurid, gruesome, and violent scenes perpetrated against both humans and animals. There's also a concurrent theme of sexual molestation, as well as graphic nudity in the final 25 minutes or so of the film.

Overall, this film won't appeal to everyone and can be difficult to watch at times, but, for me, the fine acting was enough to keep me engaged.