Mary Bryant

Which is it: romantic entanglements, distant voyages, or surprisingly harsh scenes from unpleasant periods in the past? The script cannot decide which path to take and thus ends up cutting off the branch it is sitting on. Romola Garai certainly carries even this more realistic take on Angelique, and both of her admirers are long-time first-class actors for me, but even after three hours, I couldn't get into the characters' heads. What doesn't sit well with me is that they are constantly faced with obstacles without any accompanying emotions, and instead of being moved by their multiple hardships, it only made me feel annoyed. The last few minutes do work well, but it is already too late to save the whole story. (2011-10-16)