243. The World To Come; movie review

 

 

THE WORLD TO COME

Cert 15

95 mins

BBFC advice: Contains strong sex, references to domestic abuse

Gosh, they had it so hard years ago that it can't be too surprising that people seized upon even a glimmer of affection.

The World To Come is set in the 19th century in America's northeast where winters are incredibly fierce and life is tragically cheap.

Katherine Waterston plays Abigail, a farmer's wife who is numb with grief after the death of his young daughter several months previously.

Her plight is not helped by having to spend almost all of her time either alone or with her emotionally stunted husband (Casey Affleck).

Therefore, when a new neighbour, in the shape of self-assured Tallie (Vanessa Kirby) moves in, she is all of a flutter.

The two become best of friends and gradually their old-fashioned modesty drops away.

Obviously, even a scent of romance between them would cause scandal and their husbands become more and more vexed at the amount of time they are spending together.

The problem with The World To Come is that it is too slow. Conversations are stilted and indirect - probably reflecting the reality of a time when people didn't challenge the norms.

Mona Fastvold's film looks good - I could almost feel the chill of the wind blowing across the farmland and the heat of the open fire which kept the protagonists warm.

The acting is also of the highest quality with Kirby and Waterston convincing in the lead roles.

But the story is too much like a theatre piece with long speeches, drawn-out silences.

Consequently, tension seeps away and left us struggling to maintain attention.

Reasons to watch: Impressive recreation of the austerity of 19th-century farms

Reasons to avoid: Far too slow

Laughs: None

Jumps: None

Vomit: Yes

Nudity: Yes

Overall rating: 5/10

Did you know? In 1900, nearly two out of every ten American children died before reaching their fifth birthday. American child mortality was substantially higher in 1900 than it is today in either Asia or Latin America.

The final word.  Mona Fastvold: "I wanted to give these women a beautiful and sensual love story, I wanted to evoke films of a bygone era. It’s easy to approach period pieces or queer films with a lot of restraints but I wanted it to be lush and seductive.” The f Word

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