My awesome buddy Matt got me into another SAG screening this week. I’m not sure if I would have seen this otherwise, unless it does get some of the Oscar nominations it’s competing for. Having seen this, yes, it deserves some awards love (but needs a big push from the studio), and oh yes am I glad I saw this.
Basically all I knew going in was that it was a May/December romance starring Annette Benning and Jamie Bell. What I did not know, was that she is real life actress Gloria Grahame, and this is a true story. The film is mostly just a portrait of their life together, and how her age and health impacted their relationship.
Those actors are phenomenal. Benning is just so effervescent, you can see why Bell’s Peter fell in love with her. She’s fierce and strong, and has such a drastic arc over the course of the film that permeates her every movement and emotion. And then Jamie, oh Jamie Bell. His eyes showed so much passion every time he looked at her. I’ve never seen a movie romance sold so completely, and it was all in his eyes.
The film was so beautifully put together. The lighting looked dreamlike, and there were these really creative transitions between scenes. I did have some trouble figuring out some of the timeline at first, but I eventually figured it out. I really do hope it gets the awards push it deserves.
Film Stars Don’t Die in Liverpool – \m/ \m/ \m/ \n