Set against the unforgiving ocean and the flat, soggy marshes of the coast of southern England, the scene will evoke delightful nostalgia in anyone who's spent time as a youth in any of these places.
Right under the surface of this apparently mundane coastal community lies passion, obsession and terrible misfortune. Around the edge is inequity and injustice.
Winterbottom achieves a highly erotic mood and the film is punctuated with frank and realistic sexuality which on it's own may be labeled pornographic (especially in the MPAA circuits). The director effectively addresses the dilemmas of human sexuality and hammers home the cruelty of the human condition.
All of the acting is great and the cinematography accurately delivers the location to your imagination. Rachel Weisz can be seen here in her element. Younger and somewhat thicker set than she has become, she seethes with sexuality whilst remaining demure. She is the the enigma of this film and if you've ever known a young woman to whom all men are hopelessly, somewhat inexplicably attracted, you'll see her in Weisz's Helen.
I recommend this film to anyone who likes intelligent erotica and tragedy. Also anyone who's grown up around rural coastal Britain (or wants insight into it) will love this.
Right under the surface of this apparently mundane coastal community lies passion, obsession and terrible misfortune. Around the edge is inequity and injustice.
Winterbottom achieves a highly erotic mood and the film is punctuated with frank and realistic sexuality which on it's own may be labeled pornographic (especially in the MPAA circuits). The director effectively addresses the dilemmas of human sexuality and hammers home the cruelty of the human condition.
All of the acting is great and the cinematography accurately delivers the location to your imagination. Rachel Weisz can be seen here in her element. Younger and somewhat thicker set than she has become, she seethes with sexuality whilst remaining demure. She is the the enigma of this film and if you've ever known a young woman to whom all men are hopelessly, somewhat inexplicably attracted, you'll see her in Weisz's Helen.
I recommend this film to anyone who likes intelligent erotica and tragedy. Also anyone who's grown up around rural coastal Britain (or wants insight into it) will love this.