An intimate portrait of the tortured soul of an artist, interspersed with several of her most famous works, Terence Davies’s unusual biopic covers the life of Emily Dickinson from her school days to her death, highlighting her tempestuous but compassionate relationships with her father, sister, brother, and other New England socialites.
Cynthia Nixon’s performance as Emily is one for the ages, and Jennifer Ehle’s turn as her younger sister is wonderful supporting work that enables Nixon to play Emily’s moods off Ehle’s quiet and sympathetic presence. As the film focuses on Emily’s growing agnosticism, insecurity, and sense of perfectionism, all of which often drive others away from her, Nixon makes us empathize with a “difficult” character who struggles to fit into the world and uses her poetry as the primary means of communicating the longings of her soul.
—Evan Cogswell, Catholic Cinephile
Arts & Faith Lists:
2017 Arts & Faith Ecumenical Jury — #7