I imagine Iris would have made a far greater impression on me had I known something of the person or writings of Iris Murdoch prior to my viewing the film. In fact, I suspect the nature of the storytelling (i.e., the movie’s chronological leapfrogging between past and present) might even mimic the type of narrative structure that Dame Murdoch uses in her novels, but having read none of them this point was surely lost on me. This said, I feel it best if I stick to examining Iris in light of its film qualities and avoiding a piercing examination of the story itself.
Without a doubt, Iris allows thespians the opportunity to shine, and that they do here. Dame Judi Dench plays Iris during her sunset years as the light slowly fads from her mind’s eye. She gives a masterful performance that heartbreakingly captures the disappearance of person behind the cloud of Alzheimer’s. Her honest performance creates the perfect space for Jim Broadbent to shine as her desperate and loving husband John Bayley. Broadbent is well-worthy of his Oscar win here as he deftly moves between hope, anger, love, and heartache in portraying a man desperately trying to keep his head above water while his wife slowly sinks below the tide. As for Kate Winslet‘s performance as the young Iris Murdoch, she does an adequate job given she rarely has time to do much more than lose her clothing and say her lines before we jump forward in time to the end of Murdoch’s life.
Beyond the acting, James Horner provides a solid score, which has moments of true beauty. The film’s editing succeeds wonderfully at times in the shifting between past and present. Other than these two elements, the rest of the package is perfectly adequate. As for the story, I think the need for the chronological shifting was necessary to give a sense of the true loss of this great mind to a horrible disease. Even with this said, I would have liked to have spent more time with the younger Murdoch as I don’t think the audience was given much more than a hint into the character of this person who would become a significant 20th Century English literary figure.
I feel I should end with a warning concerning this film’s pacing. It is slow . . . painfully so at times. I imagine a person more familiar with Murdoch and her writings would find the story more compelling than I did, and I have few suggestions for how the pacing could be improved other than spending more time with the younger, more vibrant Murdoch. I recommend this film for those obviously interested in Iris Murdoch as well as those who want to see actors excel in their craft.
