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Photographer Jean Janes arrives on the Isle of Shoals off
the coast of New Hampshire to research a 130-year-old murder.
With her is her poet husband Thomas, his brother Rich and
Rich's sultry girlfriend Adaline. As Jean immerses herself
in the mystery, torturing images from the past mingle with
present-day jealousy...
It
is not entirely clear which should be regarded as the primary
narrative of this century-spanning drama from Kathryn Bigelow,
the director of Point Break, Strange Days and,
more recently, K-19: The Widowmaker.
The
events of 1873, which are based on a real and still unresolved
double murder, make for more riveting viewing, even though
you cannot truly describe it as a mystery. It becomes pretty
obvious as to whodunit less than halfway through the movie,
although the exact reasons why are revealed more gradually.
In light of certain revelations, the sibling rivalry that
exists between impoverished Norwegian immigrant Maren Hontvedt
(Sarah Polley) and her sister Karen (Katrin Cartlidge) demands
repeated viewing.
The
passionless marriage in which Maren finds herself trapped
is starkly contrasted with the overt sexuality of Adaline
(Elizabeth Hurley), which invites feelings of lust from Thomas
(Sean Penn) and jealousy from Jean (Catherine McCormack).
The present-day story is less satisfying than the 1873 strand
because any conclusions that might be drawn from it are less
clearly defined. However, to the credit of Bigelow and writer
Howard E. Smith, the role played by Adaline proves to be of
a quite different nature from what I had been expecting.
This
is an emotionally charged narrative, which is all too easy
to immerse yourself in.
Richard
McGinlay
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