Often times, love affairs begin when two people find solace each other from tough circumstances. A human refuge away from whatever struggles we’re facing, an empathetic ear that can relate to the pain we’ve been through and the love we wish we had instead. The latest film from writer/director Francis Lee explores one such story. Ammonite finds the reserved but acclaimed paleontologist Mary Anning (Kate Winslet), who works alone selling common fossils to tourists to support her ailing mother Molly (Gemma Jones), beset by a life-changing, chance meeting with Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan), the ailing wife of an aspiring paleontologist named Roderick (James McArdle). Roderick leaves Charlotte in Mary’s care for one month in the hopes that the scenic views and clear air of the beach will improve her state and the two women spark an intense relationship that alters them both.
Ammonite finds both Mary and Charlotte sharing the predicament of being under the thumb of stern, unpleasant authority figures; a mother for Mary and for Charlotte, it’s being stuck in a cold, controlling marriage typical of the times and suffering from mental illness in an era where diseases of the mind were hardly discovered much less understood. We’re made to infer that Mary and Charlotte are drawn together by this commonality, as well as Mary’s caring for Charlotte through her mental and physical sicknesses, but their love just sort of happens without any gradual buildup or overt explanation. Falling in love with the person who saves you from abandonment is something that can happen, but what we see with Mary and Charlotte’s relationship isn’t convincing as the sudden spark for romance. Being cared for by someone is a touching experience, but why would it be romantic instead of platonic here? Was Charlotte destined to connect with anyone who showed her a modicum of caring due to Roderick’s treatment? Is she a closeted woman who is a victim of the social mores of the time as we are shown is the case with Mary? It’s not shown well or explained flatly and as a result, the coupling doesn’t feel as earned or genuine.
In addition to its exploration of shared experiences and caring cultivating relationships, the film does venture a bit into the effects of class stratification on partnering as we see Mary and Charlotte’s relationship develop. Despite their love for one another, Charlotte’s socialization of using her wealth as a means to get what she wants clashes with Mary’s sense of independence. The culture clash and its effect on two people in love is actually well depicted and written in its subtlety and the way it flashes in hints through, just bubbling underneath the surface until it fully boils over in the film’s climactic scene. Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan shine as much as we’ve all come to expect from the two lauded actresses over the years, but their immense talents isn’t enough to overcome a bland cinematic experience and a story that ultimately falls flat. Winslet is transformative as Mary, perfectly capturing her hard exterior shaped from living in a world that won’t allow her to be herself, a love life filled with loss, and a spirit longing for connection and love that her mind is telling her can never be. Ronan is also good, but I found myself questioning her recent string of roles in period pieces as I watched her in yet another early-mid 20th century setting in a dry, quiet film. Her winning an Academy Award this decade felt like a formality just one year ago, but I wonder if sticking to this type of casting and not displaying the range she seemed to be embarking upon displaying with 2017’s Lady Bird will alter his ascent.
Ammonite feels like a film going through the motions. It goes quiet and contemplative in an attempt to make its emotional bits more impactful, but the lack of believability of the relationship at the heart of the story causes the entire foundation to collapse. In the first half of the film, minutes go by sans any dialogue whatsoever which wouldn’t be a problem if what were happening onscreen was compelling and not just characters standing in place, taking in the scenery. It’s really easy for an awards season period piece to cross the thin line from prestige over to trite and this falls victim to that folly. Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan are the excellent actresses we know them to be, but the flaws of the film cannot be overcome by sheer talent.
Image: NEON
