The music of Alexandre Desplat can elevate even the most prosaic of scenes but the exposition here would have been just as glorious without his Malick-esque melodies. It’s the cherry on top, though.
I was intrigued from the start, and the movie never faltered in its pacing and performances, the way in which its characters continued to evolve and adapt. The stylistic flourishes, too, were a surprise, as this sort of fare is usually a static camera affair.
Naomi Watts is captivating, and Edward Norton is as far away from an Edward Norton performance as you can get. What a talent he is, as is the seemingly omniscient Diana Rigg.
A lot of these period pieces are a grind, the usual stiff yarns concerning archetypes without agency simply reacting to events. This is different, with characters influencing their calamitous environment, or at least trying to. It also felt like another time and place, not merely an attempt to depict one.
It’s so entertaining, and yet it shouldn’t be.
Wanderings and ... wonderings. 