Review of Mr. Turner (2014) by Viet Phuong N — 27 Dec 2014

I love it when a film contains no bad character at all, and "Mr. Turner" is such a film. This is a marvelous example how character depiction should be done - even the small, supporting roles in this film are portrayed with care and affection, which can be felt through their detailed and authentic looks and manners, and especially through the "space" Mike Leigh gave them to present themselves to the audience, to show to the audience who they are, how they feel, and what they dream about.

Everyone talk about the stunning performance of Timothy Spall in the role of J.M.W. Turner, but the characters that have my deepest appreciation in this film are actually his supporting characters - Turner's father (played by Paul Jesson) and his housemaid (played by the incredible Dorothy Atkinson).

Both of them loved Mr. Turner deeply, and they sacrificed their whole life for the painter so that he can devoted wholeheartedly for the depiction of the beautiful nature of the Great Britain. Talking about beautiful nature, this is maybe one of the best cinematographed films I have watched these recent years, each frame was chosen and shot carefully as a real painting with distinctive decorative patterns and stunning lighting, which made the film look like a series of portrait and landscape paintings masterfully drawn by Mike Leigh and his incredible cinematographer Dick Pope.

True to his style, Mike Leigh gave us a raw and sincere illustration of Mr. Turner's life and the British society in his times with minimal dramatization. Although Mike Leigh has produced endearing (and successful) films from this style, including the likes of "Secrets & Lies", "All or Nothing", or "Another Year", this film is a little bit less satisfactory to me since the creative process of Mr.

Turner did not stand out to give the audience a look at the inner thinking of the painter, thus this film is more a period drama than a biography film about Mr. Turner himself (Notice: The film is way less dramatic than how the "Hollywood-ish" trailer tried to misguide the audience about it).

Still, a very beautifully-filmed cinematic piece with equally beautiful characters this is.