Review of The Invisible Woman (2013) by Greg W — 14 Apr 2014
Sometimes, words really are just words, digestible bits strung together for entertainment purposes, not profound exposition in which the secrets of life, happiness, freedom, and family reside. Sometimes, reality truly is different than fiction, and sometimes the two are inseparably identical.
Yet when the illusion is broken -- no matter how tangentially or closely related the two may be -- it's a recipe for disaster, of more than hurt feelings but altered lives and a question of priorities, direction, and even one's own soul.
That clash between fiction and reality seems at the heart of The invisible Woman, where Dickens' wife sees nothing of great import in her husband's words while young Nelly reads into them the keys to the universe.
That Dickens would gravitate towards the latter is no surprise, and neither is Nelly's reaction to the manipulation in her life, even if it's pushing her towards her hero. The Invisible Woman offers up a plethora of complexities, but the dark, subdued overlay and reliance on general story contrivance doesn't give the material the room required to expand and explore to its full potential.
It's a solid film with missed opportunity that would please period aficionados but likely not tickle the fancy of casual audiences.
This review of The Invisible Woman (2013) was written by Greg W on 14 Apr 2014.
The Invisible Woman has generally received positive reviews.
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