O Domingo das Mães

Lots of earthy cinematography... very decent acting and an interesting story... a movie to just relax and ponder. The weaving of nude shots of Odessa Young are masterful... done with taste... while not taking over the story. A lot of character building in such a short time.

Mothering Sunday. A lot of work has gone into this film in terms of congregating a good cast including a Olivia Coleman & Colin Firth. Some good acting and lovely cinematography, but unfortunately it was very, very slow. Trying to create an enigmatic and sultry atmosphere for a romantic love story but it just didn't come off.

The penny dropped that all the good romantic films watched in the past you 'bought in' to the characters and felt for them, urging them to succeed. Here I found we got to a point after 30 minutes where we couldn't care less about the two lovers or what happened to them. We weren't moved or brought to tears but felt complete apathy. Plus it was like an advert for cigarettes with so many smoked!

The scenery is incredible, as is the performances of Colin Firth and Olivia Colman.

The rest of the movie is incredibly disjointed, and because there is no actual emotion or feeling between the two main characters, Odessa Young and Josh O'Connor, it quickly became annoying. There is only so much cigarette smoking a person can watch before you realize, I suppose, this is the point where the viewer is supposed to be emotionally touched. The problem is, I wasn't. Ever.

This felt like going to a beautiful restaurant and waiting so long for your meal that by the time it's gets there you want to throw the plate on the floor.

Much of the movie is beyond belief, such as the maidservant (who, between the wars, works for the wealthy Niven family), wandering naked through a manor house, seemingly unconcerned that the owners may show up...for over an hour.

At every turn, I kept thinking, here it is, we must be getting to the point...but 'the point' simply never happened.

A waste of talent and scenery, however it is worth watching simply for the performances of Firth and Colman. They are outstanding.

A young house maid (Odessa Young) to The Nivens (Colin Firth/ Olivia Coleman) visits her lover (Josh O'Connor) for the last time, whilst The Nivens visit the neighbours to celebrate the forthcoming marriage of their son, O'Connor, who obviously is otherwise engaged.

A film you need real patience for, as the bulk of the run time is taken up with a fairly straightforward tale of young lovers within the English upper classes - Upstairs, Downstairs if you will - and gently and nicely done it is.

It is worth waiting though, for quite a long way in, things develop dramatically that you probably won't expect, affecting the young couple, The Nivens and their neighbours which is handled magnificently. Odessa Young does a fine job holding all this together in the starring role, but support from Coleman and Firth is the high point, with a special treat with essentially just one scene featuring the great Glenda Jackson. Overall, slow to be sure, but ultimately cleverly written and rather moving.

Greetings again from the darkness. Every writer has a story about what inspired them to put words on the page. What we have here is Eva Husson directing a script from Alice Birch (LADY MACBETH, 2016) who has adapted the 2016 novella from British author Graham Swift. We follow Jane Fairchild through three stages, as her work as a maidservant allows her to become "an occupational observer of life." It's Mothers' Day 1924 and Jane (Odessa Young, SHIRLEY, 2020) is anticipating her latest romantic tryst with Paul Sheringham (Josh O'Connor, EMMA., 2020). Both know this is their final time together, and they take full advantage. Jane's employers, Godfrey and Clarrie Niven, are meeting Paul's parents for a celebratory luncheon with Emma (Emma D'Arcy), the 'proper' woman Paul is to marry. Oscar winner Colin Firth (THE KING'S SPEECH, 2010) and Oscar winner Oliva Colman (THE FAVOURITE, 2018) play the Nivens, and deaths from WWI hang over all of these families like the darkest of clouds.

The story is told in non-linear fashion, with Jane and Paul's final lovemaking session being that which all other events seem to revolve. We also spend some time with Jane in her 40's as she is living with her philosopher husband Donald (Sope Dirisu), and then in her 80's as she is celebrated as a renowned and prize-winning author. In this last stage, Jane is surprisingly played by the great Glenda Jackson, a two-time Oscar winner (A TOUCH OF CLASS, 1973, and WOMEN IN LOVE, 1969), who has only appeared in a handful of TV movies these past thirty years. Ms. Jackson turns 86 next month, and spent time as an elected member of Parliament. She's always been an interesting person, and it's terrific to see her back on the big screen - even if she only gets a couple of brief scenes followed by one substantial one near the end.

It's a beautiful film and it's sensuously photographed, though maybe a bit odd in that it focuses so diligently on the visuals (thanks to cinematographer Jamey D Ramsay), while actually following a woman's journey into writing. Love (or lack of it) and grief and life's transitions are all on display, as are the harsh realities of class differences. Ms. Young and Mr. O'Connor are both terrific, and though she has minimal screen time, we are stunned again at just how much emotion Ms. Colman can convey with her face.

Memories and recollections of "that day" play a crucial role as the mature Jane wrestles with writing her novel ... one that her publisher expects to be a thriller. Of course, we watch as Jane's story plays out, so we know where her writing is headed. The film has a vagueness to its storytelling that prevents us from ever fully engaging with Jane or any of the rich, sad people, yet it's such a beautiful film to look at that we never seem to mind.

In theaters on April 8, 2022.