The aging Jean Simmons is just as beautiful as she was as Ophelia decades before, showing the lines of a life lived gracefully with that gentle voice and the desire to make it through her physical obstacles. Her character has a painful, debilitating illness, and she takes pleasure in some medical marijuana and much younger male friend Jamie Dornan.
Her seemingly peaceful life is interrupted by well-meaning but interfering sob James Wilby, and with undeniable grace, she strives to live out her days exactly where she is, where peace and tranquility are part of her necessary desire for a dignified way to live out her remaining time.
I loved how in one scene she gently let Wilby know that he can be a bully, standing up to his well meaning but controlling intentions. Of course it's easy to understand all the sides, but ultimately, it has to deal realistically with what Simmons sees as an interruption to her desire to go on as well as she can even with frequent pain and no interference from outsiders. Simmons makes this a sweet triumph for her last film, and goes out as dignified as her character. Soft and gentle, it's a triumphant view of the undying spirit that can't be destroyed by the pain racked shell that the spirit temporarily resides in.
Her seemingly peaceful life is interrupted by well-meaning but interfering sob James Wilby, and with undeniable grace, she strives to live out her days exactly where she is, where peace and tranquility are part of her necessary desire for a dignified way to live out her remaining time.
I loved how in one scene she gently let Wilby know that he can be a bully, standing up to his well meaning but controlling intentions. Of course it's easy to understand all the sides, but ultimately, it has to deal realistically with what Simmons sees as an interruption to her desire to go on as well as she can even with frequent pain and no interference from outsiders. Simmons makes this a sweet triumph for her last film, and goes out as dignified as her character. Soft and gentle, it's a triumphant view of the undying spirit that can't be destroyed by the pain racked shell that the spirit temporarily resides in.