Ammonite
The biggest problem I have with Francis Lee’s “Ammonite” is that it has a specific story it wants to tell, and does so while glossing over a far more interesting one to get to it. Of course, if the writer-director had focused on making a true biopic of Mary Anning, it wouldn’t have been the same type of movie, although that might have been a good thing; reducing her story to that of a lesbian romance does a disservice to her as an individual, especially considering it’s not known whether said romance is rooted in reality.
Mary Anning was a paleontologist who helped our understanding of prehistoric life, and the history of the Earth, and having Kate Winslet play her is a coup. She does fine work in the movie, as Anning is looking for fossil beds along the cliffs of the English Channel, and it’s disappointing to feel as though the movie deprives her of a great chance to bring this compelling individual, and her life’s work, to life. She is going about her business in- sometimes- dangerous conditions when a tourist, Roderick Murchison, and his wife, Charlotte (Saoirse Ronan), arrive at the town Anning is living in. Charlotte is suffering from a personal tragedy, and Roderick hopes she will recover in this climate, and entrusts Mary with her care. The clash between the two personalities eventually turns into bond that goes to romantic places, which will change both of them for the rest of their lives.
Reading about Anning and Charlotte on Wikipedia after the film, I was honestly left more infuriated by Lee’s choices as a storyteller. I understand that he had a particular ideas he wanted to explore in these characters, and this relationship, but watching “Ammonite” unfold, we’re left waiting for the sexual component of their relationship to happen rather than experiencing it in a natural manner. Sure, there is little known about Anning’s personal life, which gives you some latitude to project on to a character, and her and Charlotte, a real-life person whom she did come to know personally, and they did become friends afterward they met, but what is known about Charlotte does not lead us to think a romantic connection existed between the two. What could be drawn from their bond, however, might have been an increased fascination in the science of what Anning was doing on Charlotte’s part, which led to her becoming a well-known geologist, although chances are that happened earlier in Charlotte’s life than this movie takes place (in the 1840s, when Charlotte would have been in her 50s). If he really wanted to say something about Anning, and women of the time period, when it comes to sexuality, gender and class, he certainly could have written a wholly fictional character as opposed to playing so fast and loose with the real-life of one character to serve the purposes of his story about his main character. Knowing all of this after the fact makes “Ammonite” feel more like fan fiction, and makes me feel for people wanting to watch this film, and see something genuine and representative of them, and how they might feel.
Taken as is, “Ammonite” is an engaging period drama because of the performances by Winslet and Ronan. They lean into what Lee asks of them in bringing these characters to life, capture each character’s loneliness, and even if the film comes off as quite depressing and drab, they give it life. The love scenes between them have heat, and the final moments hit hard emotionally, which is why the film is being rated as highly as it is. If I’m being honest, though, the emotional impact of those moments just makes me even more annoyed by the choices Lee makes- which, admittedly, most audiences might not go searching out like I did; these two, and their connection, deserves to be brought to life, and it feels like Winslet and Ronan are the actresses to do it. Unfortunately, how it was done is disrespectful to both, and what might have brought them together in real life.
