Kate and Saoirse in Love
Feel the heat in the 1840's Ammonite
In 2017 Francis Lee made God’s Own Country, a beautiful love story about a lonely farmer (Josh O’Connor) and a Romanian migrant worker (Alec Secareanu) set in rural Yorkshire, England. It’s hailed as the British Brokeback Mountain, but the only similarity between them is the farm setting. God’s Own Country is a poignant, beautifully simmering love story. Now, Francis Lee is back with a new movie, Ammonite.
Set in England in the 1840s, Ammonite is about a famous but poor fossil hunter Mary Anning (Kate Winslet). When a wealthy visitor hires her to look after his wife, Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan), Anning reluctantly takes the job. As the two women grow closer, they discover their feelings for each other are more than platonic. Like God’s Own Country, this film is sure to explore issues of class, gender and sexuality.
Anning and Murchison were real women with a long friendship, but there is no evidence they were more than friends. However, there is also no evidence to suggest they weren’t lovers. There has been some backlash to the film that it’s the “queering” of a true story, but it isn’t claiming to be a biopic. Additionally, Lee, a gay man, has discussed the film practice of “straightening” gay people, so is there anything wrong with speculating on the sexuality of a woman whose actual sexuality has never been divulged?
Wherever you fall in the argument, Lee has proven he is an adept filmmaker who crafts beautiful stories that stick with you. With Winslet and Ronan in the leading roles, you know this will be interesting.
Ammonite is expected to come out in 2020.
