Middleburg Film Festival 2020: Film #3

Not necessarily a disappointing experience, but more of an underwhelming one. Ammonite feels very similar to one of my favorites of last year, Portrait of a Lady on Fire, a comparison I couldn’t help but think about given the short gap in between the two, but most aspects of Ammonite fall short compared to Portrait. It’s not a bad film by any means, but it had me frequently thinking of films that pulled this idea off much stronger.

My two main praises of the film come in the performances and the cinematography. Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan both do a very good job, and it was a very pretty looking film.

I wasn’t too sold on the romantic side of the story. The characters didn’t seem entirely fleshed out, and it was hard to really feel impacted by much of what was going on because of this. Again, I hate to continue making this comparison, but there is not nearly as much tension and buildup as there is in a film like Portrait.

I did enjoy this overall, and perhaps my experience was heightened by seeing this at a drive-in showing with a friend I hadn’t seen in a while. I won’t be surprised if this gets some Oscar recognition next year, and I’m sure plenty of people will love it.