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United Kingdom · 2020
Rated R · 1h 35m
Director Craig Roberts
Starring Sally Hawkins, David Thewlis, Alice Lowe, Billie Piper
Genre Comedy, Drama
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When Jane’s boyfriend dumps her on their wedding day, she spirals into a chaotic, schizophrenic world where love and normality collide with both humorous and emotionally profound consequences. A non-linear film that operates on its own fractured and unconventional storytelling principles in an illuminating depiction of mental illness.
The muddled story-telling, a reflection of Jane's perception of the world, may frustrate some viewers. But those who can appreciate it as pointillist rather than linear will be able to appreciate fully Roberts' control of mood and the exceptional depth of the performances.
The New York Times by Glenn Kenny
For the first half-hour or so of Eternal Beauty, Roberts and Hawkins take an unusual and intermittently illuminating approach to depicting mental illness. . . . But the movie doesn’t keep up its good work.
With an assist from Sally Hawkins’ valiantly committed lead performance, the result occasionally summons the genuinely disoriented perspective of an unstable protagonist, but more often, it’s the filmmaking that seems to spiral out of control.
A brilliant Sally Hawkins stands atop Craig Roberts’ perceptive look at mental illness. Small but beautifully formed.
The Film Stage by Jared Mobarak
While Eternal Beauty is oftentimes funny, it’s almost always dramatically profound and emotionally complex.
The film is, in the end, Hawkins’ to own. Her eyes — and her posture, her voice, her jittery movements — defy any show-stealing, and lend a solidity to a film that might be a little flimsy otherwise.
The Hollywood Reporter by Leslie Felperin
Creating a highly unusual and welcome look at schizophrenia that neither demonizes those with the condition nor patronizes them as suffering martyrs, the British drama Eternal Beauty pulls off a tricky feat.
The Guardian by Peter Bradshaw
This is substantial and rewarding.
The Observer (UK) by Wendy Ide
Roberts relies heavily on imagery suggesting a confused reality ( characters are constantly fractured into multiple reflections) but the use of colour is an effective shorthand that clues us into Jane’s state of mind.
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