By the late 1850s, Charles Dickens (Fiennes) was a celebrity, pursued by mobs of fans as he produces the play The Frozen Deep with his roguish friend Wilkie Collins (Hollander). During rehearsals, Charles falls for 18-year-old actress Nellie (Jones), encouraged by her mother (Scott Thomas). But with divorce unthinkable, all he can do is separate from his wife Catherine (Scanlan) and keep his continuing relationship with Nellie hidden. But some 30 years later Nellie is still struggling to deal with her memories, even though she now has a loving husband (Burke).

The film neglects to tell us is that Charles and Nellie were together for 13 years until his death in 1870 (their on-screen fling seems to last about two years). Fiennes also opts not to age Jones at all over 30 years, which leaves us even more perplexed about the timeline. But the real problem is that Fiennes never generates any passion; we believe this love affair is doomed from the start, not by society's constraints but because Charles and Nellie seem only vaguely interested in each other.

Leaving almost every key event off-screen may cleverly echo 19th century literature, but this is a 21st century film revealing a relationship that was "invisible" in its day. So why not show it to us? The best aspects here are Maria Djukovic's textured production design and performances from Hollander, Scanlan and Scott Thomas that reveal the underlying emotional chaos that's otherwise missing.

Despite the vacuum at the centre of the script, this elaborately staged film strives to be a darkly moving epic like The Piano. Strings bellow in Ilan Eshkeri's moody score as everyone refuses to talk about what's really going on. But aside from a few hints, Morgan and Fiennes refuse to take us into the private rooms where we might have found some evidence of the love that drew Charles and Nellie together.

themes, sexuality, grisliness

21.Oct.13