Synopsis:

MAUDIE, based on a true story, is an unlikely romance in which the
reclusive Everett Lewis (Ethan Hawke) hires a fragile yet determined woman named Maudie (Sally Hawkins) to be his housekeeper. Maudie, bright-eyed but hunched with crippled hands, yearns to be independent, to live away from her protective family and she also yearns, passionately, to create art. Unexpectedly, Everett finds himself falling in love. MAUDIE charts Everett’s efforts to protect himself from being hurt, Maudie’s deep and abiding love for this difficult man and her surprising rise to fame as a folk painter.

Film Review:

A story that genuinely inspires. When physical limitation makes you your best self, it makes you boundless to anything even time. Maudie is a film full of wonder and colour. It is a movie made to see through the eyes of a folk painter who didn’t even realise she is an artist. Sally Hawkins beautifully plays as Maud, and she did it with immense justice and respect. You can tell the amount of preparation Sally has done to play as the simple yet exuberant and highly passionate local artist. Who despite her misshapen hands continuous to paint life with bright and cheerful artworks filled with landscapes and animals most touchingly.

The film accomplishes much in storytelling, acting and most especially directing. Aisling Walsh did so well with her cinematic scenes, and I give her high regard for her vision and directing style.

Maudie is a very delightful film to watch, like seeing a movie as if it was a painting, with its soft lighting, bright colours and somewhat magical approach. It may not be the perfectly detailed biography of Maud’s life, but it truly gave us a glimpse of how she overcame her struggles and turned her life into a work of art.

Out in NZ: October 19, 2017

Rating:  PG Mild themes and sexual references