A Clever Woman

Two sisters return to the seaside home they once shared with their dead mother. They go through her things, discover long lost childhood toys, find (and sing) songs that she wrote, plan to put together a performance piece about her life...and in doing so, they try to unravel the many mysteries of their much-missed mother. A woman who seemed happy on the surface...but would often burst into tears for no apparent reason. A woman who was in love with her husband...but had a never-ending series of affairs.

'A Clever Woman' is a haunting film which perfectly captures the feeling of rummaging through a dead person's things, desperate to get to know them better, but finding the answers remain out of reach. Josie Lawrence and Tanya Myers are sublime as the sisters, and some of their songs made the hairs on the back of my neck stand on end. Anna Mottram gives a beautiful, wistful performance as a family friend who has come to assist them. The film was improvised (rather than scripted), and it shows. It feels utterly real, more like a documentary than a drama, and I really didn't want it to end. 'A Clever Woman' is beautifully made, touching, tender, and will stay with you forever.

"Dot" (Josie Lawrence) and "Phoebe" (Tanya Myers) return to their late mother's home on the anniversary of her death. For much of the last year, the house has been lived in by "Tom" (James Northcote) and the two sisters have decided that they wish to build on their musical heritage by using the house as a sort of museum, curated by "Tom" in which they - aided by their friend "Monica" (Anna Mottram) - will use their Steinway pianola to serenade visitors with songs. The sisters are still really to face their trauma, especially "Dot" and so a walk along the beach seems a helpful solution. Left behind, the other two get up to a little mischief that, when discovered by "Dot" causes tempers to rise and truths to be told. This is quite effective at dealing with one specific taboo, and both ladies at the top of the bill deliver engaging and emotional performances when they are on screen together. For me, though, the complexities of the relationships weren't gone into especially throughly. The plot has too many holes, as do the characterisations, and though director Jon Sanders does tread a cleverly constructed line between reality and imagination, it struggled to remain plausible - or even particularly interesting - as it progressed. There are a few songs that give us an opportunity to enjoy the singing talents of Lawrence and Myers but essentially this is a stage play on a big screen that is enjoyable enough, but somehow lacking.