'The Beguiled' A Review

The Beguiled is a civil war drama about a mostly abandoned girls school in Virginia lead by Martha Farnsworth(Nicole Kidman) and one teacher Edwina Morrow(Kirsten Dunst). The film opens on a student Amy(Oona_Laurence) picking mushrooms in the forest surrounding the school. She comes upon wounded union soldier John McBurney(Colin Farrell) who she brings back for medical attention. McBurney is nursed back to help by the women and girls and becomes a point of political and sexual tension.

Kidman is restrained, confident, and compelling hinting at desires and emotion but acting on duty and survival above all. Dunst is quiet and withdrawn, almost haunted, with layers of meaning implied but never stated. Farrell's performance is mercurial, we never know much about the character as he shifts to please whichever character is with him, through necessity. Impressive if not very honest it's always a pleasure to watch Farrell. Out of all the students Laurence is the most engaging and brings a much needed lightness and chemistry to her scenes. Elle Fanning as the sultry teen is the only weak link in the cast, her onscreen presence, a kind of ethereal internal vacancy, doesn't do her much good in a film so predicated on reserve surrounded by actors with substantial facility for depth.

There is no question of Coppolla's film making ability, the cinematography is gorgeous, the score perfectly melded, some great diegetic touches. The issue has nothing to do with the actual film making but with the storytelling. Ultimately there isn't much narrative to speak of, the slow pace is acceptable only if the characters are compelling and they are so reserved, so restrained, so buttoned up we really never learn much of anything about them. Back story aside we don't know what they want or need or believe. So although beautiful in every aspect the The Beguiled lacks much meaning. I'm sure the intention is to remain vague to allow the audience to interpret however there is such a lack of clarity in regards to motivation the result is indifference.

Gorgeous but lacking significant substance.

Rent It.