{"id":24569,"date":"2022-04-01T00:54:14","date_gmt":"2022-04-01T07:54:14","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/?p=24569"},"modified":"2022-04-01T00:54:14","modified_gmt":"2022-04-01T07:54:14","slug":"mothering-sunday-is-a-low-key-drama-but-one-that-makes-an-impression","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/?p=24569","title":{"rendered":"MOTHERING SUNDAY is a Low-Key Drama, But One That Makes an Impression"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/06\/24_0009_B-merged.png\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-14439\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\"><strong>This feature from Sony Pictures Classics opens at movie theaters on April 1st. <\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">When adapting a novel for the big screen, many filmmakers are\nbold, direct and explicit about the themes and ideas being relayed\u2026 if only to make\nsure that audiences are understanding the big picture. <em>Mothering Sunday<\/em>\nis an adaptation of an introspective 2016 novel by Graham Swift, detailing a\nwoman identifying the most important moments in her life. It seems that for a\nmovie to work effectively, these major events don\u2019t have to be presented in a\ngrandiose manner. With a good story, the right cast and steady hands, a soft yet\nprecise approach can also make an impression. &nbsp;<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Mothering-Sunday-03.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24571\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">This story is set following the close of World War I, a time\nin which many British families were dealing with the loss of their sons in battle.\nJane Fairchild (Odessa Young) is a maid employed in the upper-class household\nof Mr. Godfrey Niven (Colin Firth) and his wife, Clarrie (Olivia Colman). Despite\nthe lavish surroundings, there is a consistently downcast mood at the estate. During\nthe titular holiday, servants are given time off to spend time with their\nmothers. Jane, who is an orphan, visits Paul Sheringham (Josh O\u2019Connor), the\naristocratic son of the Niven\u2019s neighbors who is engaged to be married. It seems\nthe two are embroiled in an affair that could send shockwaves through their\nfamilies if the truth was ever discovered. This is a life-altering day for Jane,\nand we see incidents intercut with later periods in her life as she attempts to\nprocess them. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Mothering-Sunday-06.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24572\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As mentioned above, those who enjoy period dramas should be\naware that this tale is particularly low-key and the movie itself is a slow\nburn. Despite the many tragic events involved in the plot, for the most part there\nare no grandiose displays of emotion\u2026 although cracks are always visible on the\nfaces of the characters and in their occasionally pointed comments. All the various\nfamily members are generally stoic, keeping up appearances and attempting to\nhide their feelings of grief and despair. It casts an interesting pall over the\nproceedings, where even the lavish estates take on an especially lonely\natmosphere. <\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Mothering-Sunday-05.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24573\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">Jane appears to be walking on eggshells with the Nivens and\nthe only time that she is able to behave normally is during her secret rendezvous\nwith Paul. In these sequences, the two converse about being forced to go\nthrough the motions and behave as they are expected to in order to meet with\nsocial norms and convention, also poking fun at how dull and fake the upper-classes\nbehave at their fancy dinners. But despite these criticisms, the Nivens (in\nparticular, the jaded Clarrie) do pass on some direct and in valuable advice about\nbereavement to Jane as the film progresses.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Mothering-Sunday-01.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24574\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">As mentioned, this is an introspective picture, but those\nwho are patient will find the story drawing them in more towards an understated\nbut powerful final act. The effect is helped by the unique editing techniques\nemployed in the film. Although the earliest timeline is the primary focus, the\nstory jumps around between various eras. While the approach is a bit jarring\nearly on, the cutting does keep one piecing story elements together, adding suspense\nto the proceedings. There are also understated but very pretty and striking\ntransitions between some of the time periods that involving natural elements\nlike mist and fog.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image\"><img decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/www.cinemastance.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2022\/04\/Mothering-Sunday-07.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-24575\"\/><\/figure>\n\n\n\n<p class=\"wp-block-paragraph\">And of course, the performances are excellent all around. Odessa\nis compelling lead as a young and curious woman trying to find her way and keep\nan illicit relationship hidden. The ever-reliable Olivia Colman and Colin Firth\nexpress their character\u2019s inner turmoil in very different but still relatable\nways and supporting cast members like Sope Dirisu also make a memorable\nimpression. <em>Mothering Sunday<\/em> isn\u2019t a loud and histrionic period drama,\nbut it is a solid adaptation that does find its voice as it progresses and ultimately\nmakes an impact. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>This feature from Sony Pictures Classics opens at movie theaters on April 1st. When adapting a novel for the big screen, many filmmakers are bold, direct and explicit about the themes and ideas being relayed\u2026 if only to make sure that audiences are understanding the big picture. Mothering Sunday is an adaptation of an introspective [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":6,"featured_media":24570,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[5],"tags":[741,3294,3295,3559,4609,6251,8567,11059,14280,14281,14282,14283,15072,15284,15336,15922,23469],"class_list":["post-24569","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-movie-reviews","tag-adaptation","tag-book","tag-book-adaptation","tag-british","tag-colin-firth","tag-drama","tag-graham-swift","tag-josh-oconnor","tag-mothering-sunday","tag-mothering-sunday-film-review","tag-mothering-sunday-movie-review","tag-mothering-sunday-review","tag-novel","tag-odessa-young","tag-olivia-colman","tag-period","tag-uk"],"blocksy_meta":{"styles_descriptor":{"styles":{"desktop":"","tablet":"","mobile":""},"google_fonts":[],"version":8}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24569","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/6"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=24569"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/24569\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=24569"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=24569"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/cinemastance.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=24569"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}