Thom Glow deconstructs a heady, bluebell-strewn visual feast.
This summer, the world is under attack from a myriad of action blockbuster movies – from the first ever Wonder Woman feature film to what feels like the eighteenth release in the Transformers franchise, cinema-goers have options galore if they’d like to see unfeasibly attractive young actors gurn Olympically into the camera as CGI monsters and laser bolts dart around them, possibly even in 3D.
But amongst all of this explosive Hollywood grandstanding, there are a number of promising smaller pictures for the more discerning viewer. One such film is the bodice-ripping ‘My Cousin Rachel’ – a period mystery thriller starring luminous Brit Oscar-winner Rachel Weisz and regulation hottie Sam Claflin.
Together the two light up the screen in this adaptation of Daphne DuMaurier’s 1951 novel of the same name. Sam Claflin plays a sturdy young farm hand, Philip, whose beloved Uncle Ambrose goes to Florence on a summer sojourn, leaving him in charge of the farm in pictureseque Cornwall.
It is not long before letters begin to arrive from Uncle Ambrose, who has fallen in love not just with Italy but with a beautiful woman called Rachel (Weisz!). The two soon marry but Philip becomes concerned as the letters start to depict a paranoid Ambrose suffering from a mysterious sickness who suspects his new love Rachel is watching him constantly and controlling his every move.
Ambrose eventually dies, leaving Philip wondering what role the mysterious Rachel might have had in his passing. Enter Rachel Weisz as the mourning widow and temptress, seducing young Philip amongst the bluebells and leaving the poor boy confused about who or what to believe about the death of his uncle.
The film is a romantic mystery, with scene-stealing Weisz expertly keeping the audience guessing as her Rachel walks the line between being the deviant controller of Ambrose’s letters, or simply an autonomous modern lady in a time when women were expected to stay in their place.
For lovers of period drama this is a great watch, though the success of thrillers tends to be in their economy and I felt ten or fifteen minutes could have been shaved off the running time to really keep things taut, especially in the film’s latter third.
Another movie to watch out for this summer will be Sofia Coppolla’s ‘The Beguiled’ starring another breathy screen siren in an ambiguous role, Nicole Kidman. From trailers I see these two being potential companion-pieces for fans of the genre. Five points for Hufflepuff!
My Cousin Rachel is out now.
