Shadowlands

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Penelope Y If you grew up loving C.S. Lewis’s The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe and his other works, this film offers a fascinating and humanising look at the man behind the stories. Having read all his books, I had little idea of who Lewis was personally, so Shadowlands provided a refreshing insight into his life, love, and career. Knowing about his friendship with J.R.R. Tolkien adds an extra layer of delight, giving a glimpse into the company they kept and the academic culture of their time. Anthony Hopkins delivers a masterful performance, portraying Lewis first as a reserved bachelor and later evolving into a more tender, compassionate man who comes to understand the deeper values of love and relationships. Rated 4.5/5 Stars •  Rated 4.5 out of 5 stars 08/10/25 Full Review Tom J Pastoral and emotionally devastating film, but finally redemptive and uplifting. The protagonist's character arc from intellectual solitude to deeply felt human interaction is superb. The film stands up to repeat viewings but when I first saw it in the theater and went home to tell my wife I could barely get the words out without reliving the emotional toll the film delivers. A meditation on the cost of avoiding pain by holding human connection at a safe distance, and the risks undertaken by loving deeply. Most telling quote: "The pain now is part of the happiness then." Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 07/12/25 Full Review Ikhlass C It's a must see, absolutely perfect ! I've felt attached to every single actor in this movie, I couldn't tell if they were acting or if I was watching a real normal life going by behind my screen. It's emotion-packed, I adore it ! Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 04/03/25 Full Review Chris P Wonderful movie, emotionally challenging at times but it gives you perspective and hope. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 12/30/24 Full Review Stephen B Beautiful movie. So deeply moving. Anthony Hopkins is such a powerful actor, he is so skilled in playing the part of such deep thinking and torn character in the throws of a loss of a most cherished love of his life. No doubt the hardest of emotions for us to ever have to deal with. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 11/02/24 Full Review Blu B I prefer this slightly over The Remains of the Day which is very simliar in tone and setting to this and I feel serves as a great comparison piece. Compared to that one hopkins performance is allowed to show more emotion and when he does it's so powerful. He perfectly balances being restrained but maximizing the emotion perfectly. Debra Winger is amazing in this. Filled with charm, wit, clever zingers, and serving as the relatable anhor in the story in this world of posh academics. All the performances are excellent. Attenbourghs direction is masterful in this with gorgous cinematography, masterful framing and camerawork, and a very memorable setting. The themes explored here are very mature and pwerful along the lines of a movie like Ordinary People. It's a combination of a drama character study and romance and masterfully weaves them together. It doesn't offer easy solutions or summations to the themes explored either but just a really human understanding. This does a great job humanizing Hopkins character a quite a bit more than Remains of the Day for me. It's sad, heartwarming, and very insightful. My only real complaints is the editing is very good but it can be a bit clunky at first setting the story up and introducing Hopkins at first. Same with setting up the romance as well. But exploring it is masterful and the chemistry between the two is amazing and more than makes up for that. The music is really well done but it isn't used that much and not super memorable on its own. It's a slow burn the entire way but riveting to watch as it unfolds. Everyone should give this a try once. Rated 5/5 Stars •  Rated 5 out of 5 stars 08/13/24 Full Review Read all reviews

Shadowlands

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