Review of Tamara Drewe (2010) by Steven E — 28 Sep 2010

Iâ??m a Guardian reader. Not that I ever buy a copy nowadays (I rarely read a paper and if I do itâ??s the Herald Trib) but thatâ??s not the point. By the definition of most normal people (by 'normal' I obviously mean other Guardian readers, or Indie readers at a pinch) I am a Guardian reader. Oh, and I read a lot of books and write a bit. I also use to drink in Hay-on-Wye.

So. The characters in Tamara Drewe inhabit my universe and I simply loved the movie. Because I donâ??t in reality actually READ the Guardian I missed the Posy Simmondsâ?? cartoon, based on Far from the Madding Crowd in the same way that her earlier Gemma Bovery was based on Madame Bovary (I did read that one). Having hurriedly read the cartoon on-line I now know where the movie deviates from the cartoon. And itâ??s not much, but where it does, yes, itâ??s in the interest of safer film-making. And this is a safe film, smooth and neat. The mess of Tamaraâ??s relationships and the writer Nicholas Hardimentâ??s serial infidelities are moulded into an uncomplicated tale set in the beautifully rounded Dorset countryside. This is just such a â?? satisfying - movie about familiar things - cattle, jealousy, literature, adultery. You just love the characters. The two rural schoolgirls who provide the counterpoint to the plot until their actions profoundly affect everyone are just brilliant. What city-dwellers who are not Guardian Readers make of all this I do not know. But f**k â??em, they can just stick to their own universe.