Mary Shelley
The story of how Dr Frankenstein and his monster were born comes almost alive in this Irish/British/Luxembourgian joint production directed by Haifaa al-Mansour.
Mary Godwin (Elle Fanning) has a writer for a father and works in a bookshop, so it’s no surprise that she loves to read and someday she hopes to be a writer. After a trip to Scotland where she meets poet Percy Shelley (Douglas Booth), Mary becomes besotted with the man and he returns those romantic affections. Soon, fractures in their relationship show which leads Mary to write her story.
Alternatively titled A Storm in the Stars, this period drama seems to be lost in space at points. It’s a two hour run-time and a good portion of the film feels like a slow crawl. There definitely reached a point where I was internally begging Mary to write the damned story. Emma Jensen has a good grasp on the poetic language and manages to weave in some nice moments but there’s a lot of examples that come across with a pretentious tone.
Luckily, Mary and the film progress further as we enter the second half. As a ghost story challenge swings into action and Mary’s blossoming interest in science plays on her mind, the film lifts itself out of the mire and lights up a creative bulb within the title character.
Elle Fanning is superb in this; she captures an essence of courage in a girl not quite confident to have her own distinctive voice. Yet, you believe that she’s an intelligent woman, and Fanning shows great emotion playing the part of a neglected soul. Douglas Booth utilises his dashing charm in selling Percy as the sophisticated poet, but there’s an extra something there which he carries, and ensures Mary’s beau isn’t a man that can fully be trusted. Tom Sturridge revels in his grandeur and mascara as Lord Byron. There’s no denying that the poet is flamboyant and smart but he’s almost a villainous chap too.
This film is by no means a disastrous one, but the fantastic performance from Fanning isn’t enough to stop me thinking that the real Mary Shelley deserves better than what this story presents her life as.
5/10
