Brave, empathetic study of schizophrenia
- Eternal Beauty review by PD
This brave, meticulously crafted piece is for the most part very successful at giving us an empathetic portrayal of schizophrenia. Most films about mental illness tend to use “normal” characters to provide an outside perspective on the subject’s illness, but instead Roberts lets Jane herself (superbly played by Sally Hawkins) be our guide, which has the result we are unable to differentiate between reality and delusion since she herself cannot do the same.
There's some dark humour en route, notably a Christmas present-giving scene involving thoroughly bemused relations, but on the whole it's a heartbreaking film, for Roberts doesn't attempt to shy away from the fact that Jane is a lost soul, trapped inside a mind walled off into sections between her present and past self / selves.
Sometimes the script isn't quite strong enough to cope with the sheer complexity of what's being shown, and the sections involving Jane's relationship with fellow psychiatric patient Mike are a bit awkward, but generally speaking this is strong stuff, and is all the better for not giving us a neat and tiny narrative arc or any sort of cathartic conclusion.
8 out of 9 members found this review helpful.
Thoughtful and moving
- Eternal Beauty review by JB
The wonderful Sally Hawkins plays Jane, a woman living with schizophrenia in this movie from Welsh actor turned writer-director Craig Roberts.
Its an empathetic and thoughtful portrait - Hawkins' character is not a victim: she has agency, intelligence and the ability to live a full life in spite of her condition. If anything, it's her family who are more of an impediment for her life although they are drawn very broadly - her deceiving sister (a sour Billie Piper) and her controlling mother (Penelope Wilton) in particular. Her other sister, played by Alice Lowe, is a shining beacon of love although is arguably also quite a two-dimensional character. Jane also suffers heartbreak from a man who jilted her at the alter.
Roberts borrows heavily from the visual styles of Wes Anderson and Michel Gondry here, which mostly works when depicting Jane's inner world although occasionally comes across as gilding the lily. But it does create a suitably jarring visual language to depict Jane's illness.
Although the shining star is Sally Hawkins, this flawed, offbeat look at mental illness is definitely worth a watch because of its thoughtfulness.
4 out of 6 members found this review helpful.
Quirky and well acted
- Eternal Beauty review by TH
First thing this is really well low budget film. The script is decent and the subject matter dealt with in a very quirky way. The acting from Sally Hawkins is fantastic and makes you really feel for her.
The reason for giving this 2 stars is for me the film isnt a film I would choose to watch again. The story is quite quirky and nothing stands out.
So overall it's a well made and decently acted film but not sure I would say an instant classic.
4 out of 8 members found this review helpful.
Eternal beauty
- Eternal Beauty review by JG
Just couldn’t get along with this. Found it depressing and switched off after 20 minutes although Sally Hawkins is an amazingly good actress, this just wasn’t to my taste.
2 out of 3 members found this review helpful.
Dull
- Eternal Beauty review by HM
My heart sank when I saw National Lottery funded and that the Welsh film industry (?) was involved. A TV drama slot would have been better for this really, not much life in it or movie craftmanship. A repetative 'she's bonkers' theme carries on with little development of it. Repetative and dull, it drags on. A movie has to be entertaining and this certainly isn't. The subject may be serious but so would a movie about gardening at my place.
The irish subsidised industry does a little better and let's not discuss the Australian attempts at film making. I turned this dross off after 40 minutes, I was in a state of depression having started Friday night off so badly!
Risk boredom if you dare.....
1 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Great acting but didn't really find it enjoyable watching
- Eternal Beauty review by PO
Super performances, particularly by Sally Hawkins, and an insight into mental health problems but didn't really hit a chord with me. Some sweet scenes, some quirky, some very sad and all, as I say, well done. Perhaps I was expecting something a little mystical as in 'The Shape of Water' but i can't say I enjoyed it.
1 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
A strange watch
- Eternal Beauty review by giantrolo
Sadly, we had to give up on this film a third of the way through. A very strange plot with a very strange feel - in that sense, it probably perfectly captured the feeling of paranoid schizophrenia that was central to the idea of the film. Sally Hawkins put in an amazing performance, but I couldn't recommend this film. Disappointing.
1 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Eternal Beauty, good acting but too depressing for me
- Eternal Beauty review by MZ
I really tried to get into this film but it was far too depressing. Even though I understand how bad mental health problems can be I still found it too hard to deal with. Not one to watch in lockdown when you may already feel a bit low.
1 out of 2 members found this review helpful.
Excellent Well-Written Perfectly-Cast British/Welsh Film on Living With Mental Illness
- Eternal Beauty review by PV
This film is brilliant. The way some reviewers criticise it for being 'too depressing' is truly bizarre - do these people only watch pink fluffy slushy films, Wonder Woman and Trolls? Maybe. If so, I think that's as sad as it is absurd - read some great literature. It's often depressing, sad, moving and about the human condition. Most Shakespeare is full of death and tragedy after all. Drama is meant to be sad and upsetting - to MOVE the reader/viewer. It should.
Anyway, I loved this as much as I hated the writer/directors last film JUST JIM (gave that 1 star). Mental illness on screen is often tricky. 'Typist Artist Pirate King' (2022) also does it well based on a true story, a real person. This by contrast is pure fiction. The way neighbours shun the individuals suffering mental illness is bang on, in my experience of knowing people who suffer with it. Shameful really.
The way the film portrayed the mental illness esp the hearing of voices is very clever, using phones, radio, more. It makes it all visually and aurally interesting. Great music too.
The cast is great - superb veteran actor Bob Pugh as the long-suffering husband and father; and of course the great David Thewlis fresh from this brilliantly repulsive turn in FARGO series 3; Billie Piper's malicious spoilt sister is utterly believable too. All the cast are great. I often dislike Sally Hawkins but she is perfectly cast here. The writing is spot-on too, esp in the first half.
It's not perfect - it meanders towards the end and just adds too many characters and plot strands (no need for the pretty sister to get an older boyfriend - extraneous character who should have been cut, he adds nothing).
Also, to manblame in a Miss Haversham way that being dumped at the altar caused the mental illness is dramatically neat but actually a cheap shot - mental illness of this severity (schizophrenia, delusions, psychosis, hearing voices etc) is often genetic and triggered by drug-taking (heavy cannabis/skunk usage) - that is what I have seen anyway. Though true, the horrendous mother character here no doubt helped though the other 2 sisters are unaffected which suggests a genetic cause.
Odd, but I have never ever heard the expression IN MY OILS meaning IN MY ELEMENT, not in Wales or England!
One of the best films ever made about mental illness and its effects on others.
4 stars. A great watch.
0 out of 0 members found this review helpful.
Engaging film that keeps you watching
- Eternal Beauty review by SG
This film treads a difficult line between black comedy and enduring mental illness. Not the easiest trick to pull off, but it does it in a way that is both engaging and thoughtful. A great piece of work that stands out in the current sea of dross and ought to be seen by a larger audience than it will probably achieve. One for those who like the Mike Leigh genre.
0 out of 1 members found this review helpful.
