Rating- * * * (3/5)
This film presented me with a difficult decision: is a film good just because it evokes emotion? Allow me to explain. The plot follows the life of the famous British novelist Iris Murdoch and her husband John. The film alternates back and forth between the two characters as young adults and as an elderly couple as the elderly Iris (Judi Dench) slowly disintegrates into Alzheimer’s. We see the young John (Hugh Bonneville) fall in love with the brilliant, and somewhat promiscuous, young writer (played by Kate Winslet). Iris gained a lot of recognition for its fantastic performances which earned the Best Supporting Oscar for Jim Broadbent and nominations for Dench and Winslet. The best performance in the film by far comes from Broadbent playing the elderly John who must watch helplessly as the love of his life and the most brilliant mind he has ever known slowly fades away into a kind of waking death. The final scenes of the film are so heart-breaking that anyone with tear ducts will be sobbing their hearts out by the credits. Now here is where the problems arise. This film is certainly effective in tapping the human emotions, namely sadness and loss, but I struggled with whether or not it had any deeper significance behind it than “Iris was a brilliant mind and beautiful person until Alzheimer’s destroyed her and it was all very sad.” The script is somewhat repetitive and we don’t really get to see any kind of plot unfolding. Not that a plot is absolutely necessary in a film, but in a case like this when the audience may not know the characters very well, a plot can help to clarify the relationships and backgrounds of the various characters in a story. While awareness of Alzheimer’s or any disease is a very noble intention, it does not make a good film and I believe the emotional power of this film comes primarily from the beautiful performances and the audience’s awareness of this real and tragic situation. So as for my recommendation: if you want to see one of the best performances of the year in Jim Broadbent, then you will certainly be rewarded. If you are looking for a deep, multi-faceted film to go along with the great performances, then look elsewhere.