THE BEGUILED (15)
VIRGINAL beauty is sin deep in Oscar-winning writer-director Sofia Coppola’s fable of female empowerment, based on the novel by Thomas P Cullinan.
Set against the backdrop of the American Civil War, The Beguiled lovingly reupholsters an oft overlooked melodrama starring Clint Eastwood with stunning cinematography courtesy of Phillipe Le Sourd and impeccable production design.
The focus of Coppola’s version, starring Nicole Kidman and Colin Farrell, is an isolated household of women and girls, who unwittingly invite a wolf into their hen house.
Eleven-year-old Amy (Oona Laurence) stumbles upon an injured Union soldier, Corporal John McBurney (Farrell) in the woods.
She helps him to stagger to the nearby girls’ school where teacher Miss Martha Farnsworth (Kidman) oversees the education of the remaining charges with the help of Edwina Morrow (Kirsten Dunst).
Reluctantly, Martha allows John to stay and tends to his wounds.
Students Alicia (Elle Fanning), Emily (Emma Howard), Jane (Angourie Rice) and Marie (Addison Riecke) are fascinated with the handsome new arrival, who they agree must be handed over to the Confederates at the first opportunity.
However, with each passing day, John charms his affection-starved hosts, pitting them against each other.
While the turbulent period is evoked with aplomb, some elements of Coppola’s haunting vision falter.
Nicole Kidman’s Southern accent waxes and wanes in scenes with co-star Colin Farrell, who retains his thick Irish accent. Tension between the characters could also be heightened in the calm before the inevitable emotional storm, although that would fray the fabric of sisterly solidarity, which the script is desperate to preserve.
The Beguiled largely delivers on the promise of the title, casting a heady spell as the females of the species unite in adversity.