Certificate: 15
Running time: 117 minutes
Starring: Kate Winslet, Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Jones
Directed by: Francis Lee
The story: Palaeontologist Mary Anning lives a mostly solitary life, working alone and caring for her sickly mother, until she meets Charlotte Murchison who changes everything.
The verdict: Director Francis Lee's debut film, God's Own Country, was one of my favourite films of 2017 and so I was really excited to see what his sophomore film would be like. After seeing Ammonite, I think it would be safe to say that Lee is becoming one of my favourite directors because both of his films have blown me away.
Ammonite is a gorgeously shot period drama that immediately pulls the audience into the setting and location. As Mary battles the elements on the brutal coastline of Lyme Regis, I could almost feel the wind biting at my face and whipping through my hair.
Mary is a fascinating character and it is no surprise to say that Kate Winslet plays her fantastically. Her performance is great and would certainly be worthy of some awards' attention. Saoirse Ronan was also brilliant - I don't think that it is a too much of stretch to say that Ammonite features two of the finest actresses currently working right now. I really loved the strong female cast in this.
Ammonite has been accused of being too slowly paced and thus declared 'boring' by some reviewers. It is true that Ammonite is often sparse of dialogue and unfolds slowly, but I in no way found this boring. I loved how Ammonite was able to evoke and capture feelings so effectively without an abundance of dialogue or fast paced scenes. So much was said in the body language of the characters - a look passed between two people, a fleeting touch. Ammonite felt raw and beautiful. And the romance between Mary and Charlottle felt realistic. The intimate scenes felt true to life and natural - not done for the male gaze at all, unlike lesbian scenes in some other films.
When Ammonite concluded, something happened that I have never witnessed in the cinema before. I myself often like to watch the credits, but that is a pastime that is almost always solitary (unless the film in question is a superhero film, which is a different kettle of fish). But this time, the entire screening sat in silence and watched the entire credits - it was if no one could bear to leave the story that had just unfolded, we were all so invested and affected.
Thinking about a film after one has seen it is not unusual at all. However, there are definitely some films that take up an abundance of space in your mind - almost as if they take up residence and refuse to leave. I have thought about Ammonite daily since seeing it - I truly loved it.
The rating: ★★★★★
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