LNero

7/10

For fans of gorgeous photography and delicate subtly. I occasionally watch (and enjoy) costume dramas, but they're rarely so beautifully shot. They also generally don't involve one of the immensely cinematically talented Fiennes siblings. Instead of the dismally diffuse and bright white light and the way it over-lights the vibrant colors of the costumes and wallpaper in period-maintained estates for so many parlor room-heavy teatimes, this film, instead, fully deserves the category of "**every frame a painting**". The overcast English daytime shots are there, but they're outdoors, shot very wide, or very close up, muted, and shot with the same care and exquisitely balances color grading as the heavily shadowed indoor, and nighttime exteriors. The film resembles much more _Amadeus_ than, say, a Jane Austen adaptation or biopic. Lots of candles and extremely warm lighting. I can't find the info, but I swear it was shot on film. The later shots outside of dreary England have some vibrantly lush greenery that contrasts beautifully whilst retaining the same character. The acting is of course above par, and the performances are treated with unwavering focus and intensity by the camera and directing. The blocking and closeups and angles chosen show a sensitivity and attention to empathetic response in tactile and emotional impact that I love, and miss in other works. Ralph directed this, and, though it's been a decade since I've seen the film, _Onegin_, I seem to remember the same filmmaking sensibilities from his sister Martha's directing. Their choice of leading actress also have a shared a quality in both actresses' unique presence. I remember in the director's commentary on _Onegin_, Martha saying to Ralph (referring Liv Tyler) how she had an "X factor" to her performance. And Felicity has one of her own. I do seem to remember that one being a bit more heartwrenchingly tragic. By gosh, the English do seem to love their star-crossed and unrequited tragic romances. They're very good at it, though! ==Heads up: this film has time swapping, and it was not at all clear to me that it starts out in the future, then goes back to its beginning, before circling back to the epilogue. If Felicity Jones is wearing a black dress, and has the husband with the mutton chops, it's the present (future?)—otherwise it's Nelly at 18. This confused me and I didn't realize it until the end. Perhaps just sleep deprivation, but it's very understated, so there were no visual cues.==