A Quiet Passion

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Brenda S Have you ever seen Kirk's movie on Gilmore Girls? This movie reminds me of that movie. (minus the breakdancing) It goes from one short scene of someone saying something snarky, to the next scene of someone saying something snarky. Everyone says something profound, but it does not seem to string together to form any kind of story. The characters never seem to form any kind of character and definitely do not have any sort of relationship with each other. Completely overacted, reminding me a bit of a group of high schoolers doing Shakespeare. Save your time! Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 05/22/24 Full Review Alec B The kind of film Davies excels at. He effectively demystifies Dickinson's life (having a truly magnificent cast helps) while incorporating her poetry thematically. Also, despite the film's clear obsession with death the screenplay has a lot more wit and humor than you'd expect. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 01/03/24 Full Review Audience Member Spoilers within: Thank a god or the stars that she had her writing as an outlet, or she might have pulled the plug early, maybe when she was the only one in school who didn't profess a love of Christ and/or a fear of hell. Telling the truth is a lonely place, but she rarely could compromise that feature of her character, which eventually led to a sort of nonreligious "dark night of the soul" that she felt so intensely, though she did believe in God. In the end, this piece is a paean to not only Emily's gift for writing poetry but to places that the human spirit can go and the significant contributions people can make to civilization if they can unleash their big talent and skill on the world. Is it self-expression or sharing? Surely both in Emily's case. She had to write and wanted it published, which took some time. And this was about words, as the wit and high-minded, but highly precise, use of language throughout this by her and her family and their small circle was fun to watch; the light, witty parrying she and sister Vinnie had with Miss Buffam was wonderful. Emily stumped herself on why she did hurtful things, didn't know why, she told Vinnie. She played with words when she was chiding brother Austin for adultery, saying he was using "poetic licentiousness." Starved for love, but afraid of the closeness she might have with any man, she had no beaus and seemed most frightened of losing the autonomy she insisted on in an era when women were not the equal of men in society, so she was ahead of her time on this. I didn't know much about her going into this movie, but felt I learned at least the broad strokes. Like Vincent van Gogh, who "suffered for his sanity," she didn't see the popularity of her work explode into fame. Cynthia's catlike I' m not sure why I do what I do had great counterpoint from real pro Jennifer's more open, more canine, more outgoing and kind Vinnie. And this was the story of a really close family, which felt big tearful holes in the family when demanding Dad passed and melancholic Mom died, then Emily. Emma played young Emily well, too, and Catherine Bailey had the most fun role as Buffam. Very impressive outing by Davies, and maybe Cynthia's finest work, and Jennifer also carried many scenes. The title is ironic, as her passion was not quiet, but screaming inside her, if generically fettered by patriarchal expectations that sent her to night writing solitude. She fled the morals, the mores, the culture by fleeing them all the way into her room. And, somehow that made us all the beneficiaries of her poetic genius. What a universe. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/07/23 Full Review Audience Member Somewhat slow-moving, but it was trying to depict home life, which can be slow. I still feel like I don't know what kind of person Emily Dickinson was. Certainly idealistic, moral, always thinking, but she was also offensive (in the film). Too bad for her she wasn't recognized in her lifetime....it made her bitter. Rated 3.5/5 Stars •  Rated 3.5 out of 5 stars 01/14/23 Full Review Audience Member A marvelous meditation on Emily Dickinson, a labor of love. Perhaps people who are not literature or poetry lovers will grasp the beauty and candor of this film. It honors so much of her spirit. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 02/08/23 Full Review Audience Member Stilted performances do not do justice to the story of a phenomenal if restrained poetess. The character interactions seem forced and the dialogue unnatural. Rated 1/5 Stars •  Rated 1 out of 5 stars 01/27/23 Full Review Read all reviews

A Quiet Passion

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