[rating=8.00]
I’d never heard of Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis before sitting down to watch Maudie, a biopic based on her life, but that didn’t stop me from being moved by her tale of adversity and struggle. This despite being lacking somewhat in the script department.
There are moments in Maudie that toe the line of saccharine sentimentality and that rely too heavily on the tropes of the biopic form. On the shoulders of a lesser cast, this might have presented itself as a major, if not insurmountable, problem. Stars Sally Hawkins (Godzilla) and Ethan Hawke (The Magnificent Seven), however, manage to puncture the emotional core of the story, overcoming the inherent limitations of the genre while delivering powerful performances.
Though most of the attention will (rightly) be given to the strength of Hawkins’ performance—she doesn’t play Maudie so much as transform herself into the complex, soft-spoken artist—Hawke’s portrayal of her gruff and at times abhorrent husband is magical in its own way. It’s easy to hate Everett from his performance; early in the film, after agreeing to hire Maudie on as a maid for his small Nova Scotian shack, he strikes her with a shocking intensity, more or less solidifying our disdain and distrust for this coastal bumpkin.
The two interplay with an unignorable intensity, as Maudie begins to find herself through the painting of simplistic, yet colorful, landscape scenes. Through her art, the woman finds an outlet for a lifetime of frustration. Crippled by arthritis from a young age, she is dismissed by the townspeople and ignored by her family. At first, Everett is dismissive of her talents, demanding she do the job he’s paying her for—sweeping and cooking, mostly—in a fiendish grunt that does little to win our affections as an audience.
Even with our affection in doubt, Maudie and Everett find themselves, slowly but surely, falling in love. Throughout it all, she stands up to her boss-turned-husband in small but powerful ways. Soon, she is earning more from her quaint paintings than he is from his fish mongering. As the film progresses, and their balance of power shifts, and we find ourselves identifying more with their relationship.
We never quite forgive Everett for his early transgressions—indeed, they’re unforgiveable—but we do begin to see him through Maudie’s eyes. Hers is a world of color and light, even in the face of utter darkness. In her paintings, a nation found joy, and her joy is contagious. She is proud, but humble; meek, but strong. In the face of everyone’s doubt, she forged her own path, bringing her bright outlook onto everyone, including her emotionally stunted husband.
Here we see the transformative power of art, even simple art that, as one naysayer points out, “could be painted by my five-year-old” (“maybe,” replies Everett, “but he didn’t; Maudie did”). Maudie becomes more than anyone ever believed she was capable, and in her ascension she brought up everyone around her. This is all captured beautifully by director Aisling Walsh (An Inspector Calls) who paints her film with intimacy and care, allowing her subject and performers to shine amongst the picturesque backdrop of Nova Scotia.
Brimming with emotion and resonance, Maudie is one of the best biopics to crop up in recent years. Both stars give stand out, awards worthy performances and bring extraordinary life to an extraordinary tale. Simply put, Maudie is a mid-summer delight that will uplift and move.
Maudie is now playing in theaters everywhere.
