Jessica Chastain Samantha Morton Colin Farrell
Miss
Julie, based on a Strindberg play set in 1890, is meant to be “naturalistic”
(realistic, with meaningful conflicts and a minimum of sub-plots), an approach
that Strindberg felt strongly about, and which demonstrates his belief in the
Darwinian principle of survival of the fittest; here it takes place in the form
of a class struggle between the two main characters: Miss Julie (Jessica Chastain), the daughter of a wealthy
baron, and John (Colin Farrell), her father’s valet, who is from a poor
background. Sheltered Julie is
curious about, but has no knowledge of, those beneath her station. On the other hand, John has studied the
upper classes all his life and educated himself through books and travel. Both have lost someone dear early on; his
brother died in the same bed as he, and Julie’s mother died when she was
young. She left her daughter a
legacy for conflict however; she was taught to hate men; but, on the other
hand, be more like a man herself, e.g., wears boots, flirts, barks out commands
to her servants, and vies for control in any situation. Moreover, her mother didn’t
particularly like the child, which Julie says left her with a “black hole”
inside. Unbeknownst to Julie, John
has loved her from afar since childhood when he would climb the estate fence
and gaze upon her as she played in the garden. She has noticed him now, though, as a young adult, and is
attracted to him. Naïve about
social class in some respects, she begs him to dance with her and marvels that
he “speaks like what I find in my books.”
John has always been a “ladies man”, so one
evening after a day of taunting and flirting, he easily seduces her. In the 1890’s, that means she is now a
fallen woman. Strindberg now uses
her as an example of how the upper classes have become weak and vulnerable,
whereas life struggles have strengthened those in John’s circumstances. The two are very conflicted about
perhaps running away together, and each vacillates back and forth about this
possibility while wrestling for the power position. Eventually, he realizes that she cannot “step down” to his
level as she suggests at one point.
“No, he counters, “don’t step down; they will say you fell.” Miss Julie has been very indiscreet
about her flirtations with him, and the townspeople are keenly aware of what is
going on. So he comes up with a
bitter, harsh solution, and she submits willingly.
There is a third character played by the
talented Samantha Morton, who is informally engaged to John; Kathleen provides
the Christian religious perspective, which serves as a counter to
Darwinism. She suggests to the two
that John should come to Sunday morning services and confess his sins. She doesn’t concern herself with Miss
Julie’s predicament for a number of reasons, and unlike John, she has never
aspired to Julie’s station, so doesn’t “see” her, in a sense. To Kathleen, “Class is class”; one
shouldn’t tamper with the existing social order.
The well-known actress in Swedish director
Ingmar Bermann films, Liv Ullman, both wrote and directed Miss Julie. I believe
her work brilliantly captures Strindberg’s intent with his play, and she has
created a beautiful synthesis of all the elements of filmmaking, specifically
in the cast and characters, the music, and cinematography.
The actors, Chastain, Farrell, and Morton have
achieved career highs in their performances in Miss Julie. Each one could
be watched simply to see them mold their characters and capture their conflicts
in their bodies, movements, and vocal expression. Chastain and Farrell particularly must show huge
vacillations that show the range of their capabilities.
The music by Mike Figgis—perhaps drawn from his
own earlier production of Miss Julie—is
beautifully rendered and perfectly captures the setting in time.
Grade: A By Donna R. Copeland
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