by Nathaniel R
Okay. NOW it feels like prestige film season is about to begin... even though it isn't, not really, at least not in its traditional way. Behold the lovely poster for Ammonite, pairing two star profiles in ethereal fashion, The trailer is even more thrilling. Let's break down the Yes No and Maybe So of it all after the jump...
The synopsis goes like so:
In 1800s England, acclaimed but unrecognized fossil hunter Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) works alone on the rugged Southern coastline. With the days of her famed discoveries behind her, she now searches for common fossils to sell to tourists to support herself and her ailing mother. When a wealthy visitor entrusts Mary with the care of his wife Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan), she cannot afford to turn his offer down. Proud and relentlessly passionate about her work, Mary initially clashes with her unwelcome guest, but despite the distance between their social class and personalities, an intense bond begins to develop, compelling the two women to determine the true nature of their relationship.
YES
• Kate, Saoirse, and Francis Lee have all earned our devotion previously. We wouldn't miss it.
• We've been longing for Kate Winslet to knock another leading role out of the park. Will this be the one? Can't wait to find out. It could be thrilling to watch this new grumpy jaded vibe be replaced by her younger screen self's lust for life. Or at least that's what could happen (in our imagination).
• It will be interesting to watch Saoirse play a more subdued "melancholy" character, given that her own screen persona is not so dissimilar to Kate's original screen persona -- all youthful irrepressible fire and emotional purity. Perhaps this is why we love the dual face poster so much?
• The sex scenes in God's Own Country, also by Lee, were very hot... so Lee knows how to make same sex desire riveting onscreen.
• We don't get much screentime with the supporting cast here but it's filled with GREAT actors: Fiona Shaw, Gemma Jones, James McArdle, and Alec Secareanu (from God's Own Country). Also that little dude who was so utterly perfect in The Witch, Harvey Scrimshaw, appears as "Callow Youth"
• Some terrific craftspeople to consider: Stéphane Fontaine (A Prophet, Rust and Bone) for Cinematography, Sarah Finlay (Disobedience, Weekend) for Production Design, Michael O'Connor (Jane Eyre, The Duchess) for Costumes, Volker Bertelmann and Dustin O'Halloran (Lion, The Old Guard) on Score.
NO
• It's going to be SO annoying when everyone agrees that Saoirse Ronan is "supporting" in this movie though it's clearly a two lead film, as 97% of romantic dramas are.
• Our only other "No" is the agony that we aren't watching this TODAY.
MAYBE SO
• This doesn't really have anything to do with the movie but the cultural discourse which will surround it. The press (and movielovers) will obviously compare this to the very recent Portrait of a Lady on Fire due to the period setting, beautiful shoreline walks, and the lesbian romance. Given the absolute fetishisizing devotion the former has inspired, we worry that knives will be out for this one. A similar thing happened with Francis Lee's previous picture, God's Own Country, which was endlessly compared to Brokeback Mountain (in ways that were silly, both pro and con) simply because it was an agriculture-backdrop to a gay male romance. It shouldn't be a competition! There aren't enough LGBT screen romances so we say 'the more the merrier.'
• Speaking of God's Own Country. The storyline here looks vaguely similar given that it's an LGBT romantic drama about a gruff loner who falls for their new, more emotionally open coworker (of sorts) even though they don't really want them around at first. But if Scorsese can make endless movies about gangsters, Tarantino can make multiple alternate history movies mixing film nostalgia with violent humor, Almodóvar can keep making twisty movies about filmmakers reflecting on their past, and Coppola can keep making movies about lonely isolated rich girls, [insert every director with very obviously repeating themes here], we hope Francis Lee gets to keep delivering odd couple LGBT romances! It's a niche but an underserved one.
So are you a Yes, yes or a yes? Hee.
Neon will probably release Ammonite directly to Hulu, the current date appears to be November 13th (though this year it's unwise to ink in any release date), given that theatrical distribution is still in dissarray. Francis Lee alluded to a streaming debut in an understandably disappointed tweet that was soon deleted about a month ago. Artful filmmakers cherish what the big screen does for their beautiful compositions and cinematography and for audience engagement with the storytelling and the like. This new world of distribution is still an adjustment for all.
Regardless, given the very positive buzz around the project, we can surely expect it to compete, at least in some way, for Oscar nominations in the winter.