Iris

Genre: biographical drama 

With: Kate Winslet and Judi Dench (a young and older Iris Murdoch), Hugh Bonneville and Jim Broadbent (a young and older John Bayley), Eleanor Bron (the Principal), Angela Morant (the Hostess), Penelope Wilton (Janet Stone)

Director: Richard Eyre

Screenplay: Richard Eyre and Charles Wood, based on two books by John Bayley

Release: 2001

Studio: BBC, Fox Iris Productions et al.

Rating: -

MBiS score: 8.4/10 

 

“You must accept what I am. Nothing matters except loving what is good.” 

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Story-line: through multiple flashbacks and flashforwards, IRIS recounts two crucial periods in the lives of writers Iris Murdoch and John Bayley: their early years as a couple and their frightful old age marred by her mental illness.

Pluses: excellent acting by Judi Dench and Kate Winslet (both Oscar-nominated) as two sides of a fiery, daring woman determined to live life to the fullest, valiant turns by Hugh Bonneville and Jim Broadbent (an Oscar winner), a robust and wide-ranging screenplay that dazzles with its witty dialogues and always maintains interest, professional direction and production values, perfect editing (Martin Walsh) and a sad, beautiful musical score by James Horner.

Minuses: a warning to those looking for light entertainment: this sometimes brutal film depicts with uncanny realism the ravages of Alzheimer’s disease and the gruelling task of caregivers.   

Comments: exhilarating at times and heartbreaking at others, IRIS achieves its grand ambitions as it portrays two fascinating intellectuals in full bloom and through their inexorable decay late in life. Especially in these times of tumult and social reassessment, Richard Eyre's work gives us a sterling example of humanity and patience with its ode to great writing and difficult love. 

MBiS 

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