Sunset Song

*SPOILERS* Beautifully and elegantly filmed portrait of suffering and abuse is outstanding for about an hour, thanks to Mullan's exceptionally brutal, yet not unsympathetic portrait of ugly masculinity. Deyn is then left to carry the film proper for the most part, which she does well, however the change in personality of Guthrie's soft-spoken husband undermines the film in the latter stages, because we never get a sense of the experiences he has endured to motivate such a radical change.

Love the imagery, and the tension it creates with the difficult and downward focused narrative. However, the last act went off the rails into pure metaphor, I thought. The character's actions simply strained believability to the point that I thought Davies was more interested in the drawing lines between the personal and social/political at that point. And while I find the conclusion an apt one at this time, I'm not sure it was well earned based on that final half hour.

In its design, it's impressive and successfully brings its viewers into its slightly turbulent time and setting, although some of the stylistic choices seem a bit derivative of Davies' earlier films. What's also derivative are some of the themes, the main one being how patriarchal abuse is carried along from father to husband -- though this was explored much better in his debut film. The relationship between Chris and her husband feels stock and develops in an unnatural manner.

An adaptation of what seems like the whole history of British long-suffering wife tales, replete with painterly compositions and ethereal spaces, this is only distinguished by what is supposed to be a hymn to the country. But Davies is too in love with his oppressive moods and abusive fathers (Peter Mullan again) that we hardly ever get into a state of exaltation for nature. Really, it's so stultifying at times that I started to count the edits.

A bit of a curate's egg. It was lovely to look at, but most of the characters were rather weakly drawn, and their motivations frequently unclear as the script had a mood of 'tell, don't show' about it. Nonetheless, it was interesting.

A beautiful period drama/book adaptation that immerses the viewer in the story and wonderfully acted/crafted characters. Agyness Deyn is superb, inspired and layered, Kevin Guthrie is for the most part very believable and unforgettable too. Good scenery, good score, good execution. However, leaves the viewer wondering whether the story isn't in fact better suited for a literary form, i.e. the transition to film could use more fine-tuning.

While the voiceover drones on about "The Land," all we get of the Scottish landscape are tight shots of unconvincing wheat farming and a bit of scenery every now and then. The interiors are far more moving. And I couldn't make head nor tail of Ewan's desertion story - I had to dip into the source novel to figure out what the heck happened.

Proving that rippling wheat fields are best left to that other Terry...

.....this was good sleep medicine. Good night everybody!

Agyness Deyn was magnificent as the beautiful young lead. We watch her & her brother endure their abusive father & are stunned by the transformation of her young husband who suddenly becomes foul & ill mannered. Spoken in language so Irish, or Gaelic, that it's impossible to follow about a quarter of the dialog. This is a story of one woman's struggle to find meaning in her life, but does a poor job of providing anything profound or meaningful.

The film is a sweeping portrait of one woman's life and loss, and though the historical context in which it takes place parallels and informs the action, its Davies' intense focus on this one character that makes Sunset Song so successful.