WIDESCREEN FOCUS: MY COUSIN RACHEL
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| MY COUSIN RACHEL | Fox Searchlight | Directed by Roger Michell | Drama, Suspense | 106 min. | PG-13 |
When one is a child, the taste of milk chocolate is a special treat; one that is easily savored. As the years go by, the taste buds are an interesting thing, taking a pivot for dark chocolate and savory morsels for one reason or another. This, this film is a decadent, dark slice of pure pomp and circumstance. Understand this: it is most notably also a gleaming, shining transport for Oscar-winning actress Rachel Weisz (THE CONSTANT GARDNER) to flex all her sinewy, clandestine acting tendencies at, in the best way possible (and in this, you want it that way). Once past that, ride this black stallion on to viewing glory. Don't be fooled by the name though, as this film stems from a book near a century old and has already earned itself a classic film status from 1952 (let's agree not to discuss its television remake of the eighties, no disrespect to Geraldine Chaplin) with none other than Richard Burton and TWO-time Oscar winner Olivia de Havilland in the role of Rachel, so the casting of Weisz is as much serendipitous in namesake as it is a masterstroke.
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Rachel Ashley (Rachel Weisz) is the grieving widow for husband and adoptive father to Philip Ashley (Sam Caflin).
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With a clunky flash of fading memories, the film opens seeing a young Philip Ashley (played later achingly across the spectrum of coming of age by Sam Caflin, ME BEFORE YOU) reminiscing on how death in the Ashley family brings his uncle to then become his adoptive father and heir to the the estate he is raised on. Clunky in that it is Caflin who plays the uncle to his memories of youth, but understandably so, as he bears a striking resemblance to his now father, which becomes a point of focus as the story progresses. The father is suddenly rushed to the more agreeable climate of Italy to help his onset illness break. Letters pour from his adoptive father to Philip, talking of his health, yearning for he and the estate and the introduction of a woman named Rachel who has him swooning for the first time in what seems like ages. The focus on his recovery and its ensuing adoration then turns to suspicion and fear as the letters continue to find their way to the estate, to the horror of Philip.
Then, the unspeakable happens in this vast nearby country to his father and Philip vows to make things right by him, investigating the circumstances and confronting the wife now widow before any more time passes. It is with this that the film begins to easily twist and charm as it seems the wife has already taken her leave to the Ashley estate to investigate for herself. Here you find a once headstrong Philip already walking on unsteady footing to unravel the truth and intentions of Rachel. Once back to the estate, the entire town talks of her and as such Philip, in his dedication to family above all else, pivots in well-intentioned defense and adoration for Rachel with each courteous gesture she offers the town in spite of its gossip and kindness to the estate she bestows as its first female inhabitant in years
With one return gesture from Philip, the ground then is ripe for adoration to turn into love and love to turn to confusion, obsession.
Then, the unspeakable happens in this vast nearby country to his father and Philip vows to make things right by him, investigating the circumstances and confronting the wife now widow before any more time passes. It is with this that the film begins to easily twist and charm as it seems the wife has already taken her leave to the Ashley estate to investigate for herself. Here you find a once headstrong Philip already walking on unsteady footing to unravel the truth and intentions of Rachel. Once back to the estate, the entire town talks of her and as such Philip, in his dedication to family above all else, pivots in well-intentioned defense and adoration for Rachel with each courteous gesture she offers the town in spite of its gossip and kindness to the estate she bestows as its first female inhabitant in years
With one return gesture from Philip, the ground then is ripe for adoration to turn into love and love to turn to confusion, obsession.
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The simple gesture of an heirloom necklace unravels the recently blossoming relationship between Rachel (Weisz) and Philip (Caflin).
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In this world of strict manners and etiquette is where the recent widow Rachel thrives, and from that is unleashed an arsenal of views of the female in this male driven turn of century culture at the edge of the proper world. All bitingly delivered to Philip, and in turn bewildered animosity and exasperation from Philip to Rachel. This dance of love from an unknown place is something poised and experienced from Rachel and plodded through from Philip, with the best of intentions but the gray area between is too murky to navigate.
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| The lines of love and recompense collide between Rachel (Weisz) and Philip (Caflin). |
Going any further into the plot is doing the mystery of how it unfolds a true diservice. All in the hands of long-time director Roger Michell (NOTTING HILL,LE WEEK-END), everything orbits around these two characters, everything becomes superfulous where anything in contact with them is quickly forgotten, sadly much to misuse of supporting actors Holliday Grainger and Iain Glen (no fault of theirs, Grainger actually given one of the best lines of subtle reveal towards the last third of the feature) but, no matter. It is these two, and the dive into the swirling, dizzying gravity of Rachel and her world view conventions that the viewer constantly changes opinion, sparks suspiscion, valiantly roots for and ultimately challenges what should be desired and what is then received for doing so.
MY COUSIN RACHEL is now playing in select theaters.
