Culture

Star Rating

★★★☆☆

Genre: Drama/Thriller

Sofia Coppola returns to the big screen with this drama/thriller and tropes of film noir starring Nicole Kidman, Colin Farrell, Kirsten Dunst, Elle Fanning & Angourie Rice.

1864, three years into the American Civil War, Cpl John McBurney (Farrell), a wounded Union Soldier who has deserted his platoon, ends up taking refuge at an all-female Southern Boarding School in Virginia, which is led by Martha Farnsworth (Kidman), after being helped by one of the residents Jane (Rice). Once John is bitterly accepted and warned to leave once healed, some of the other girls who include Alicia (Fanning) and Edwina (Dunst) are all-too-keen (and stubborn) to attend to his health, but soon deep desires rapidly overtake and jealousy is awakened

Coppola’s slow burn in the first half of the story is dull, to be frank, but she soon redeems her film with a very tense and engaging character story. The cast is dynamite in this noir-edge turn of the century story but parts of the editing seems to pull the film down from the greatness it truly deserves. Although having said that, Sofia Coppola did win 'Best Director' at this year’s Cannes Film Festival, so congratulations to her for her accomplishment.

Fun Fact: This is a remake of ‘The Beguiled’ starring Clint Eastwood & Geraldine Page and directed by Don Siegel, who also helmed one of the iconic Clint Eastwood films, Dirty Harry, in which these movies were both released in 1971.

Watch if you liked: Cold Mountain (2003. Dir. Edward Zwick), The Keeping Room (2014. Dir. Daniel Barber) & Dances with Wolves (1990. Dir. Kevin Costner).

Now Showing at Mt. Vic Flicks.

A review by Mathew Currey.