The Beguiled; Beauty & McBurney.
The movie is an adaptation of the novel, with the same title, written by Thomas Cullinan. The story follows a union soldier who is found wounded in the woods by a young girl who resides, with a handful of others, at a girls school during the time of the Civil War. When the soldier is bought to the school and his life saved, the story takes on this tension filled plot balancing on desire and survival.
This is a subtle movie, in the best kind of way, with the beautiful scenery of this isolated mansion in Virginia, surrounded by huge trees and Spanish moss, nature truly adds to the inclosure of the atmosphere of this movie. Also, to say there is sexual tension in the film is a bloody understatement if ever I've known one. Holy crap! They did it very well, the scenes between Corporal John McBurney (Colin) and each woman individually is something completely different each time; with Nicole it's dominant, it's in charge and then with Kirsten it's sweet but almost pitiful and always off balance as to what's real and what's loneliness or pure desire for...well, you know. Then of course there's Elle Fanning whose character looks at him as almost a game to win; enjoying the attention and making sure it's obvious it's towards her. She's young minded, acting oblivious and unaware, only to prove nothing more than how far away she is from that word innocence.
The Beguiled, is actually quite a quick film, very early on we are introduced to the corporal and the change in the girls as if a man was a rare and funny thing. As quickly as our characters bodies and hearts are affected, the dark turn that you hope this movie has been infected by comes with a punch or a chop, if you will. You may cringe and then pass at the idea of it, but Colin's acting from that point on is fantastic, you're scared and vibe this manic, helplessness from him.
The great thing about this movie is that the Clint Eastwood version back in the day and the book is from the males point of view; but with this we see it from the women's, we learn who they are and what they want and what they are willing to do and we get all that from a woman who made it happen behind the camera. With the story and the visuals and the just-enough-of-everything plot & script, Sofia Coppola is very much as present as the cast.
Okay, so I'm just going to do a little bit of shallow, almost-infatuated, moment about Colin Farrell; lets us all be happy that Colin seemed quite okay with being the sex symbol in this movie for the plot to center around, there's a few moments where his hair falls forward and the stubble and GUYS THE ACCENT! Okay I'm done. See I kept it short, proud of me?
All in all, this is a glorious and true to it's word period piece that gives us something we haven't seen in a while, which is that successful psycho vibe coming from desire and isolation and all with wide shots that you'll fall in love with even more than Colin Farrell's fringe!
VF.
Images taken from:
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt5592248/mediaviewer/rm1294808320
https://www.tumblr.com/search/beguil
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