The Beguiled (2017)

Review

93min

Genre:       Drama

Director:    Sofia Coppola

Cast:         Colin Farrell, Nicole Kidman, Kirsten Dunst…and more

Writers:     Thomas Cullinan, Sofia Coppola, Albert Maltz… and more

-Synopsis-

When the ladies & girls of an isolated all-female boarding school in the American South take in and care for an injured enemy Union soldier during the American civil war, the dynamics and friendships in the house are disrupted—as an unexpected power struggle develops when the mysterious stranger challenges their social naivety and sexual repression . . . with grave consequences.

With a considerable family name and the accompanying daunting cinematic legacy to both aid and burden her, writer/director Sofia Coppola has chosen her own distinct indie filmmaking path since her 1999 debut with ‘The Virgin Suicides’ and the subsequent Oscar-winning ‘Lost in Translation’ in 2003, potentially her magnum opus. Now for her 6th feature film, Coppola revisits the past with her adaptation of the Thomas P. Cullinan source material and its 1971 film version directed by Don Siegel and starring Clint Eastwood—giving us a modern female-centred take on this 19th century American Southern gothic tale of repression, seduction and survival during harsh times.

Colin Farrell stars as severely wounded union soldier ‘Corporal John McBurney’, separated from his unit and saved from certain death when he’s found by one of the young students of ‘Miss Martha Farnsworth’ (Nicole Kidman) and her local seminary for young ladies—where he’s reluctantly cared for by the headmistress and her sole teacher ‘Edwina’ (Kirsten Dunst), plus their five remaining students and ladies-in-waiting. As McBurney heals and begins to charm and form bonds with the ladies of the house—cordial ones with the younger students and more provocative ones with the teachers and blossoming teen ‘Alicia’ (Elle Fanning)—relationships in the house are tested and their future in an already dangerous time becomes threatened when things take a sinister turn.

You could probably have a long debate on whether ‘The Beguiled’ is a remake of the 1971 film or a new adaptation of Cullinan’s novel, but what’s clear is that Coppola’s sensibilities make this version more in tune with the era of female empowerment—less titillating and not quite as edgy as Siegel’s version, with less focus on jealousy and vengeance as a motive for the ladies’ actions and a stronger sense of sorority . . . albeit led by a sombre and natural instinct for survival, rather than a postcard notion of sisterhood.

‘The Beguiled’ is a both tense and taught period drama and measured thriller, dealing with notions of repression and sexual awakening as well as gender dynamics and the role of women in a very different time and place, all while drawing subtle parallels with today’s world. Yet there’s never a sense of melodrama or an overt feminist slant within the narrative—but rather a considered look at a group of women removed from the perils of the outside world, only to be confronted by them and find their expectations subverted . . . and their reactions unexpected.

The costumes and production designs here are suitably immaculate as is the cinematography, taking full advantage of the Louisiana locations to emphasise a once opulent manor estate and surrounding grounds, now in the decay of neglect during the depths of the paranoia and destruction of the civil war—and they’re all bathed in dim natural light and candlelight for gothic effect, set to an atmospheric score from Laura Karpman.

Colin Farrell anchors the film as the object of the naive and repressed affections, desires, suspicions and fears of the ladies of the house, and screen icon Nicole Kidman continues her big and small screen resurgence as the blunt and implacable Miss Martha, while regular Sofia Coppola collaborator Kirsten Dunst is impressive as the stoic and tragic heart of the piece—but they’re well matched by the younger actresses, with the beguiling Elle Fanning herself holding the audience’s full attention in her every scene, and two of Hollywood’s most promising and mature child actresses Oona Laurence and Angourie Rice proving their worth once again.

‘The Beguiled’ is not exactly the most gripping period thriller you’ll see, nor is it as edgy or provocative as it could be, or indeed as the 1971 version was, with Coppola opting for a greater dose of subtlety which might blunt the spectacle for some. This is a film which slowly builds atmosphere and tensions (mostly sexual), until the boiling point where corsets pop and things start to get juicy—as the masks of manners and civility slip and things take a slightly sinister turn.

Yet this streamlined costume drama has just about enough character intrigue and genuine human drama in its relatively short runtime to keep you engrossed throughout, keeping you invested in the personalities and perhaps slightly conflicted over who you sympathise with and why—proving one of the more impressive entries in the singular and slowly growing cinematic repertoire of its director.

The Bottom Line…

Both a seductive Southern survival period drama and a Greek tragedy of repression and sexual awakening, Sofia Coppola‘s ‘The Beguiled’ revels in its American Southern gothic sensibilities while delivering a simple and tightly packaged dark little human drama, featuring gender politics that echo into this century—the result is captivating and unsettling . . . if not quite completely unforgettable.

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