Career-defining roles are a blessing but one with a downside. Audiences can have trouble separating actors from those parts in subsequent projects. Rachel Brosnahan is a great example of this, taking off as the title character in The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel when it premiered in 2017. Even her CIA agent character in a Sundance selection from this past year, Ironbark, now titled The Courier, felt like she could easily have been a comedienne who decided to go into espionage later in life. Fortunately, the opening night film of this year’s AFI Fest, I’m Your Woman, indicates that Brosnahan may be indeed be branching out and trying something different…
Brosnahan plays Jean, a 1970s housewife whose very boring life is about to be completely upended. One day her criminal husband goes missing and she is told that she needs to leave her home immediately with the baby he brought home one day to be their child. The man assigned to protect her, Cal (Arinzé Kene), drives her to a new home and tells her to speak to no one. As she hides out with no knowledge of whether her husband is alive or dead, Jean yearns for human contact and any notion of the control she is so severely lacking.
We never actually learn much about who Jean is, where she came from, and why it is that Eddie is all she has in her life. But what this slow burn thriller does well is to convey the loneliness and powerlessness that Jean feels, barely able to ask any questions since she knows the answers won’t enable her to do anything different. Eating frozen meals and never leaving the house increase her feelings of despair, with no guarantee of when or if Cal and Eddie will ever return. She feels a connection to Harry, the baby who magically came into her life, but caring for a child with absolutely zero support is no easy feat.
Brosnahan’s performance grounds this subtle and moody period piece in part because she employs Aaron Burr’s patented “talk less, listen more” advice that Mrs. Maisel would surely never take. Jean may have no idea what’s going on but she’s a keen observer, noting what few clues are presented to her and using them to best position herself for action. Marsha Stephanie Blake offers a strong and spirited turn opposite her as Teri, another woman with more insight and a determination to help Jean make the best of her situation.
This film can’t quite be described as captivating because its pacing leaves something to be desired – as does its two-hour runtime – but it succeeds well in mimicking its time period. The cars, the clothes, and the scenery all stand out despite their muted nature, giving this film a particular feel. It’s the kind of movie that grows with its main character, following her arc and, as she better surmises what it is she can achieve and what she has to lose, reaches as fitting an apex as can be expected. The latest film from Fast Color director Julia Hart is certainly intriguing, if not completely satisfying.
I’m Your Woman will be released in select theaters on December 4th before debuting on Amazon Prime on December 11th.