Ammonite

"Is it that I am all alone / yet in my dreams, a form I view / that thinks on me and loves me too / I start and when the vision's flown / I weep and I am all alone." Ammonite is an intimate and quiet film, depicting a slowly blossoming relationship that gradually evolves from innocent hints into burning passion. A year ago, Portrait of a Lady on Fire resonated with audiences; this year, Ammonite has taken up the baton. While Portrait relied on colourful visuals that atmospherically suited a film (not just) about painting, Ammonite stands out for its melancholically bleak English coastal setting. In many ways, the film resembles the director's previous film, God's Own Country, both in story and atmosphere. I liked the casting of the sharp Gemma Jones and the likeable Alec Secareanu, who had already starred in God's Own Country, but Ammonite is mainly an acting tour-de-force by the (always) wonderful Kate Winslet and the equally great Saoirse Ronan, whose grounded performance gave rise to a believable relationship between two women tormented by loneliness. Apart from the love story, I was intrigued by the small but all the more powerful storyline with the porcelain animals, during which I couldn't help thinking of The Favourite. Also, as a die-hard fan of Jurassic Park and dinosaurs in general, I welcomed the more than one paleolontological insert. PS: During the scenes tying the corset and drawing a sleeping Saoirse, I couldn't help feeling nostalgic for Titanic. (12.12.2020)

The story may be a bit of a cliché, but the two great actresses and a director with a flair for such beautiful melancholy made it an enjoyable experience. The fact that the whole thing is supposedly pulled out of thin air will of course bother some people, but it can be ignored quite easily. (27.06.2021)