Ammonite

This movie isn't for everyone, that much is clear from the mixed reviews. Some people enjoy it, others think it's an absolute bore. I fall into the first category. The movie isn't flawless but I found myself involved and captivated throughout. Personally, for me it was never too slow, but I can understand that people might feel differently. You should prepare yourself for a slow-paced, two hour long dramatic period piece.

The acting from everyone in the film is fantastic but of course in particular from the two leading ladies. Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan are absolutely terrific. The chemistry between them felt genuine and well-done to me, which is crucial in a romantic movie.

Only two very skilled actors could pull off the type of non-verbal communication that is often present in this move. It's nice that they don't have to share their life stories to each other in front of the camera. Their connection is deeper than basic communication. So much can be said with a glance, smile, and subtle body language. It's refreshing and surprisingly intense. Actions speak louder than words, after all.

The soundtrack is lovely and subtle, but gets intense at the exact right moments.

The cinematography fits the film perfectly.

Finally, I was intrigued by the unique concept of the movie. Ammonites, a love story between two women from very different backgrounds, the struggles of a lower class woman living with her terminally ill mother, the inequality between men and women during that time... and all of that (loosely) based on the life of a real person. Multiple interesting concepts coming together in one movie.

If you're hoping for a queer love story between two women that is happy and not a little depressing, you might want to adjust your expectations. This movie can be a bit dreary and sad. I have to admit I'm a bit tired of all the gloomy, unhappy WLW movies that exist, and still longing for a relatively happy queer movie, like a 'Love Simon' for women.

All in all, however, I did enjoy it and would probably watch it again in a few years.

The first word that comes to mind when reviewing Ammonite is implicit. The only other review (at the time of writing) laments the lack of explicit sex scenes. There's no need for them; this is an understated love story, not a porn film. The sex scenes are few in number, but shot with delicacy and restraint. In fact, very little of this movie is explicit. An awful lot is left to the imagination of the viewer. Back stories are hinted at, touched briefly upon and only once filled in. Even the ending is left to us to imagine. Implicit, rather than explicit, is the watchword for this movie. The performances of the four female leads are in the same vein. Subtly acted throughout; never overdone. A really beautiful movie.

Kate Winslet plays Mary Anning, a famous fossil hunter / palaeontologist with exhibits in the British Museum, who must now sell ammonites to tourists etc just to keep her and her mother, Gemma Jones, going. Into her life comes convalescing, well off Saoirse Ronan who stays with Winslet until she has recovered. A deepening relationship begins.

Remarkably touching, beautifully acted - especially by Winslet - and nicely lean love story set against the backdrop of a drab, miserable 19th century Lyme Regis. The 2 leads make a completely believable couple and the affection is bought forward slowly and ultimately quite explicitly. It is a quiet gentle film with no obvious romance or great outpourings of emotion or melodrama and all the better for that. I loved the ending.

Ferociously slow and meandering, lacking the passion and emotion of its contemporaries and a little too long for what it bestows, which is a rather bleak and salty tale of two lost and lonely women, one of which has had her flint removed and couldn't catch light if you dosed her in kerosene and dropped her into the sun. There's always, at least, a little optimism and expectation, hope perhaps, even in the most forlorn of our turbulent times, but seemingly not here.

In 19th century England jaded, somber, self-made paleontologist Mary Anning spends her days alone on the coastline excavating fossils, until a well-off tourist entrusts his wife Charlotte Murchison (repressed, melancholy, and a shadow of her former self) into Mary's care. Though Mary initially views Charlotte as another unwelcomed guest, gradually the two strangers become close as their relationship intensifies. In a quiet, intimate, and moody story such as this where much goes unsaid, most of the emotion is conveyed through subtleties and body language, but fortunately the two lead actresses are up for the challenge and deliver strong, internalized performances--though at times it's frustrating to try and discern the real emotional depths and complications between their two characters. It's hard to truly determine the historical accuracy of what transpires on screen, plus it concludes on an ambiguous note, but Ronan is solid as usual, while Winslet is absolutely riveting. **½