Ahhh... the cruel vagaries of watching everything on Disney Plus in alphabetical order. Occasionally it might throw up an underappreciated gem, but more frequently it's something like "Amy", a film that despite some solid moments, probably deserves the forgotten status that it now has.
Amy Medford (Jenny Agutter) leaves her affluent husband and comes to work on a rural school/boarding house for blind and deaf children. Though the perceived wisdom at the time was otherwise, Amy believes that deaf children can be taught how to speak, rather than just focus on sign language, and sets about that goal. Though she eventually wins over the school, her husband continues to search for her and hires a private detective to locate her and bring her home.
The problem with "Amy" is that though is commendably worthy, it's painfully dull. It's directed by Vincent McEveety, who would direct quite a lot of the live action Disney films across the late 70's and early 80's. For the most part, this is competently done and very few of the failings land on him, but there is a composite shot at the end of the film that looks woefully dated now. Agutter is decent, as the titular character. The was the same year that she was in "An American Werewolf in London" but as this is a period piece it's a lot more mannered and buttoned up, but with a secret that will eventually have to come out. She does drift close to a love affair with another character - the local Doctor played by Barry Newman. What I found interesting about that is that he looks much older than her, and indeed a bit of research suggests he's 14 years older, and it struck me as pretty unrealistic.
Though the performances are pretty solid across the board, there is a sense to impending tragedy that encircles the whole thing. For me though, there's not enough going on to alleviate the boredom.
