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Review: My Old Lady

by Eden van der Moere on February 23, 2015
my old lady review
Overall Rating
8.0
THE BOTTOM LINE

My Old Lady is like a dark and cloudy still-life painting, subtle and serene, with beautiful performances and a graceful look.

8.0
Critic Rating
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My Old Lady is the story about an old lady, Mathilde (Maggie Smith), who lives in an old, yet stately apartment in Paris with her daughter Chloé (Kristin Scott Thomas). Their quiet, modest life is rudely interrupted when an unknown American inherits the apartment. Matthias (Kevin Kline) left America under the impression he would be able to sell the apartment his father had left him and retreat to the French countryside a rich man. As it turns out, the apartment cannot be sold until Mathilde dies – and so Matthias has no choice but to move in with its two slightly mysterious residents. But as the three unlikely flatmates start to get closer to each other, Matthias discovers his past is closely intertwined with that of the old lady and her daughter.

Maggie Smith simply can do no wrong. Whether by portraying Professor McGonagall in the Harry Potter series or the Dowager Duchess of Grantham in Downton Abbey, all of her performances are passionate and heart-felt. As Mathilde, she is cunning and sharp, with a sparkling intelligence and wit, a disposition that sits opposite Kline’s tragic Matthias.

At first, Kline’s character seems rather stereotypical – a greedy and lonely man who communicates with sarcasm whenever possible. This if funny, but not very impressive. As the film continues, however, Matthias’ shield slowly comes crashing down. Kline portrays Matthias’ downfall with a lot of compassion and carefully chosen moments of strength, and the result is a remarkable performance.

When a deep and dark secret is revealed, Matthias ends up in a downwards spiral of alcohol, regret, and guilt. There is, however, a ray of sunlight amongst the darkness and that is Thomas, who plays Mathilde’s daughter Chloé. She is a fantastic actress, incredibly beautiful and with an undeniable talent for tragic characters. As Chloé, Thomas does what she does best, and completely enchants the audience.

This story was originally written as a play by director Israel Horovitz. This is definitely noticeable throughout the film, through the intense dialogue and simplicity of the scenes. My Old Lady is a film of beautiful contrasts. The stillness of the visuals stand in sharp, yet magnificent, opposition to the intensity and complexity of the story and its characters. A shocking twist becomes even more shocking because of the calm look of the film. Director Horovitz uses a certain grace and serenity to shoot his film and the result is like a still-life painting. Nothing ever moves, yet you as an audience are moved by the visuals before you.

Continue Reading Issue #38
Language

English

Release

September 10, 2014 (limited)

Runtime

1 hr. 47 min.

Genre

Drama

MPAA Rating

PG-13

Director

Israel Horovitz

Cast

Maggie Smith, Kristin Scott Thomas, Kevin Kline, Dominique Pinon

(All Reviews), Drama, Issue #38, Reviews
Dominique PinonIsrael HorovitzKevin KlineKristin Scott Thomasmaggie smithmy old lady
Dominique Pinon, Israel Horovitz, Kevin Kline, Kristin Scott Thomas, maggie smith, my old lady
About the Author
Eden van der Moere
Eden van der Moere
Eden is a student, living in the Netherlands, dreaming of a journalist career. She writes, reads and spends a lot of her time at the local cinema - all in preparation for the previous stated career, of course. Apart from British drama series, writing novels and strawberry shortcakes, Eden loves everything about films: watching films, writing about films, discussing films at the dinner table… everything.
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