Review of The Lady in the Van (2015) by Bob K — 21 Feb 2016

Superficially, this movie is about a cranky, mentally unstable elderly woman who is reluctantly given space to park her mobile domicile in Alan Bennett's car park. I saw this as a movie about how a writer interacts with the world on a different plane than most others, and chooses carefully what parts of their lives to dwell on in their work.

For example, there are several moments when two Alan Bennetts appear on screen, discussing whether or not the titular woman is worth writing about, or to what capacity, or how much does she supplant his mother in her neediness.

By the end, the fourth wall has disintegrated, leaving the writer Bennett the kind of total creative freedom that he has been reluctant to embrace until then. Maggie Smith gives a far more nuanced performance than the jocular preview displays.

I wonder if this was considered Oscar bait for her, and if that was perhaps too obvious for Academy voters to consider, because I think she did as well here as any of the other female actress nominees.