KEY POINTS:
Herald Rating: * * *
Cast: Toni Collette, Meryl Streep, Claire Danes, Glenn Close, Vanessa Redgrave, Patrick Wilson, Natasha Richardson
Director: Lajos Koltai
Running time: 117 mins
Rating: M, low level offensive language
Screening: SkyCity, Berkeley and Bridgeway
Verdict: Perfect flick for mums and daughters to bond over, just be prepared for it to take a couple of hours.
Two things initially strike you about this adaptation of Susan Minot's romantic novel of the same name. First, this is a remarkable cast, a collection of generations of acclaimed actresses which features two real life mother and daughter pairs - Vanessa Redgrave and Natasha Richardson, and Meryl Streep and Mamie Gummer.
Second, Evening, with its screenplay by Minot and Pulitzer Prize-winning author Michael Cunningham (The Hours) and directed by Lajos Koltai (Fateless), looks very beautiful. Soft, gentle, dreamlike images mix with bright, sharp, brisk scenes as our protagonist Ann Lord (Redgrave), at the end of her life, flicks back and forth from the present to the past, recalling a defining moment from her youth.
Her two daughters Constance (Richardson) and Nina (Collette) are with her as she drifts in and out of feverish dreams, and are intrigued about their mother's life when she starts calling out the name of a mysterious man called Harris.
With the night nurse (Atkins) and her daughters by her side, Ann slowly pieces together the memory of a pivotal event that took place more than 50 years ago when she attended her best friend Lila Wittenborn's (Gummer and later Streep) wedding in Newport, introducing us to the love of her life Harris Arden (Wilson), and replaying in her mind the tragic event that unfolded over that weekend.
As beautiful as this film looks, and as brilliant as its cast is, Evening is disappointing. It's a film about love and loss, about making the most of life, the ongoing consequences of decisions, and the special bond between mother and daughter. It is surprisingly devoid of hope, and the emotional impact you'd expect with this story (which at times borders on the melodramatic), seems to dissipate as the story unfolds.
In short, Evening is too long, and the two different storylines struggle to connect with each other. The overall impression is of a lovely, but meandering film and it's only out of respect for Vanessa Redgrave that you patiently wait for the inevitable outcome. On the upside, it's like getting two films for the price of one.
