Review of The Lady in the Van (2015) by Sarjoun S — 28 Feb 2016

The Lady in the Van: a Review.

First off, I am an unabashed Anglophile. Having relished living in London on several prolonged occasions in the the eighties, this movie immediately grabbed me out of sheer nostalgia, reminding me of the streets I spent many a peripatetic moment strolling. Most enticing of all, however, was a chance to spend a couple hours in nearly breathless admiration of the likely-flawless portrayal of Mary Shepherd, an elderly homeless (the van doesn't count) woman (with a past...) by Maggie Smith (Dame Margaret Natalie Smith, CH DBE, to the rest of us outside the family Windsor) who settles in for fifteen years to life in the upscale and upwardly mobile London borough of Camden, albeit on the street, and eventually the driveway of playwright Alan Bennett (Alex Jennings).

This movie begins as "merely" Maggie Smith's tour de force portrayal of Mary Shepherd, initially appearing to the viewer as a crusty, cranky, and surly street vagabond, repulsing all in her odiferous proximity. As the film evolves, however, and the back-story of Mary Shepherd is slowly (but incompletely and uncertainly) revealed, the viewer discovers a multifaceted and talented past, ranging from such experiential extremes of that of a cloistered nun to a concert pianist. (How she actually made such transitions, ending up where we see her, is not made clear to this viewer).

This film eventually provokes the viewer to reflect on one's assumptions and impressions formed and judgements cast on those we encounter daily, ranging from the indigent and homeless, to those in authority; what defines our "family" and those who care for us, and our ability to influence, positively and negatively, each of those we encounter in our daily walk through life. Indeed, this film touches on our concept of "personhood", and our role in others' lives, in this case in the waning and twilight hours of life.

I sat for minutes as the credits rolled by at the conclusion of The Lady in the Van, and slowly departed the theater in an introspective frame of mind. Will I slow down on my daily journey so as not to miss opportunities that I encounter, and in doing so, make a decision, consciously or not, to engage and touch, or not?

Well worth seeing, for Dame Smith's stellar performance alone, but also for so much more...