Shadows on the Wall

Firebrand

dir Karim Ainouz
scr Henrietta Ashworth, Jessica Ashworth
prd Gabrielle Tana, Carolyn Marks Blackwood
with Alicia Vikander, Jude Law, Eddie Marsan, Sam Riley, Simon Russell Beale, Amr Waked, Junia Rees, Patsy Ferran, Patrick Buckley, Erin Doherty, Mina Andala, Anna Mawn
release US 14.Jun.24,
UK 6.Sep.24
23/UK 2h01

CANNES FILM FEST

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Acknowledging that women's stories are rarely chronicled in history, this lavish fictionalised drama sets out to fill in the story of the only wife to survive King Henry VIII. Incisively directed and performed, the story takes place at a time when clashing Protestant and Catholic ideologies created thorny social problems. So while the narrative pacing flags in the dense second half, there's plenty of intrigue to hold the interest.

In tumultuous 1540s England, Katherine Parr (Vikander) is the sixth wife of the ailing Henry (Law), raising his various children as her own, including Mary (Ferran), Elizabeth (Rees) and Edward (Buckley). She also rules the kingdom when her husband is at war overseas. Her advisors include the Seymour brothers (Marsan and Riley), the king's former brothers-in-law, and Bishop Stephen (Beale). While Katherine's progressive ideas and associations create potential dangers, she finds it increasingly difficult to maintain her warm relationship with her husband. And the courtiers begin to build a case against her.

Executions were rampant during Henry's reign, and hearing lists of names and convictions read out is shocking, while religious and political issues are presented here as a complex and perilous web. Walking a tightrope between what she knows to be true and what she is expected to say, Katherine warns her outspoken Protestant friend Anne Askew (Doherty) to stop preaching, but she is arrested as a heretic. And Katherine's association with Anne provides fuel for conspiracies against her.

Vikander offers a wonderfully nuanced portrayal of Katherine as a deep thinker, open-minded but with strong opinions that she struggles to avoid expressing. Her affection for her step-children is lovely, as is her sparky connection to Henry. With tremendous presence, Law's performance is vividly textured, a man who believes the myth about his virtual deity as monarch, rippling with mercurial flashes of paranoia. Side roles add terrific layers as events unfold, most notably with the always excellent Marsan, Riley and Beale.

The narrative's big climactic drama feels both murky and concocted. But if the script takes inexplicable liberties with history, it remains compelling as it explores Katherine's impact on her stepdaughter Elizabeth. This nicely highlights the power plays that ripple through the story, as various men conspire against Katherine, each with his own motive. Of course, the spurious accusations of heresy and infidelity actually boil down to endemic misogyny. Indeed, the idea of a strong, intelligent woman with power still terrifies a weak man.

themes, language, violence, sexuality 1.Sep.24

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