A near-perfect little film about rural life in Nova Scotia and the tenacity of Maude Lewis who was constantly underestimated and controlled by others. Sally Hawkins is mesmerizing and carries the viewer wholly away to this time and place. She infuses Maude with such character that she seems to light up the screen with her smile. Her physical acting is simply a treasure. I was so spellbound that I didn't even realize it. Ethan Hawke has an equally challlenging role that is against type for him as Everett Lewis - the domineering, short on words fish salesman. It's extremely hard to put into words how great this film is, but is a perfect package.
Maudie is the true story of an arthritic early 20th-Century outsider artist from rural Nova Scotia who enjoyed surprising popularity, but never lived beyond her means, preferring the simple life style adopted by her curmudgeon of a husband, here played by Ethan Hawke. Obviously, the fact that it's set in Atlantic Canada (filmed in Newfoundland, though taking place near Digby) was part of the charm for me, but the real draw is Sally Hawkins as a woman consistently delighted by the world, smiling as much as her husband frowns. The trailer plays like this is a grand poetic romance, but Hawke is positively subverbal through most of the film. And yet, the relationship is at the heart of the story. But it is a naive approach to forging and maintaining a relationship, in the same way that Maud's approach to painting is naive. A lovely, well-acted drama about what's important in life; its only real sin is the unconvincing aging make-up kind of confusing the film's timeline (a lot more time passes than it appears).
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frankqb
A near-perfect little film about rural life in Nova Scotia and the tenacity of Maude Lewis who was constantly underestimated and controlled by others. Sally Hawkins is mesmerizing and carries the viewer wholly away to this time and place. She infuses Maude with such character that she seems to light up the screen with her smile. Her physical acting is simply a treasure. I was so spellbound that I didn't even realize it. Ethan Hawke has an equally challlenging role that is against type for him as Everett Lewis - the domineering, short on words fish salesman. It's extremely hard to put into words how great this film is, but is a perfect package.5 stars
alejo_42
A delight to watch, felt like a breeze, though not a fresh breeze, rather a nostalgic, heart-breaking, motherly whisper of the wind.Siskoid
Maudie is the true story of an arthritic early 20th-Century outsider artist from rural Nova Scotia who enjoyed surprising popularity, but never lived beyond her means, preferring the simple life style adopted by her curmudgeon of a husband, here played by Ethan Hawke. Obviously, the fact that it's set in Atlantic Canada (filmed in Newfoundland, though taking place near Digby) was part of the charm for me, but the real draw is Sally Hawkins as a woman consistently delighted by the world, smiling as much as her husband frowns. The trailer plays like this is a grand poetic romance, but Hawke is positively subverbal through most of the film. And yet, the relationship is at the heart of the story. But it is a naive approach to forging and maintaining a relationship, in the same way that Maud's approach to painting is naive. A lovely, well-acted drama about what's important in life; its only real sin is the unconvincing aging make-up kind of confusing the film's timeline (a lot more time passes than it appears).