Review of My Brilliant Career (1979) by Daniel K — 07 Dec 2009

3: My kind of film. It takes a truly specific and narrowly focused picture to successfully convey a universal message and that's exactly what the team of women filmmakers have done here. It made me think of an anti-Austen film in the end, but that's really over simplifying it.

Alternatively, it could easily remind one of the Austen biopic "Miss Austen Regrets". Austen and the protagonist here made similar life choices and had somewhat similar careers, although a century and half a globe apart.

It's a very compelling story set in a time and place that I'm sure will always fascinate me. Great casting and great performances. Judy Davis is absolutely superb as I think she's been in everything I've seen her in.

It hits all the right genre notes, but then veers off in another direction in the end. It makes it a much more powerful and complex film, even if it will undoubtedly disappoint some viewers at first.