Thursday 17 November 2011

Ladies in Lavender

2004 by Charles Dance

Ageing is a real issue. I wonder how I would behave, for specific situations, once I am old and lonely. At the end of this movie, I spend quite a few minutes wondering about my future. This movie is not a classic to make me ponder about the future. But it does look at ageing, in a simple and funny way.

Two old sisters, living in a coastal village, have to welcome a very young Polish man to their villa. There is a subtle war between the sisters, trying to gather the affection of the young man. 

The movie is very simple and there is nothing in this movie, which cannot be easily predicted, including the climax. But what makes it a very special watch is the performances by the two leading ladies, Judie Dench and Maggie Smith. The former especially, for me, was brilliant. For, it is her character who really falls in for the young man, that she reaches a very special state, which is difficult to explain.

And what a brilliant performance. This movie is worth watching again, just to look at these two brilliant veteran actresses. It is like a text book of under playing emotions. More than anything, they perform it in such a way that we wonder the young man has arrived into the house of two young sisters.

Add to the performances, the brilliant music, which falls in through for almost the whole length of the movie, and Ladies in Lavender is an excellent watch.