Review of Hilary and Jackie (1998) by David U — 14 Feb 2007

[font=Trebuchet MS]Rachel Griffiths and a superb Emily Watson were both Oscar nominated for their roles as musical sisters Hilary and Jacqueline du Pre, whose close but difficult relationship is the study of Anand Tucker's often conventional biopic. Tucker, it seems, can't help himself from some flashy impulses- a home video montage, for example- and, while some of these do actually work- Jackie's breakdown on-stage is excellently and disturbingly done through a clever disruption of both visuals and sound- they are generally more distracting than not. Luckily, the two leads are both outstanding, especially Watson, who portrays both Jackie's carefree unpredictability and her deep, overwhelming sorrow.

Full review to come.[/font].