Mr. Pip (2013)

"You cannon pretend to read a book. Your eyes will give you away. So will your breathing. A person entranced by a book simply forgets to breathe. The house can catch alight and a reader deep in a book will not look up until the wallpaper is in flames." Mr. Watts

This film was definitely not what I was expecting. I had never read either Mr. Pip or Great Expectations. I knew that there was a connection in Mr. Pip to Great Expectations, however I didn’t know of what nature the connection would be. The story itself is very interesting and moves forward rather smoothly. The main plot is easy to keep track of, however some of the smaller plots aren’t made to be very clear. You can’t quite tell what’s happening on the periphery of the story, therefore they don’t further the main plot in the way that they were originally meant to. The highlight of this film is definitely the actors. These actors elicit such strong feelings from the audience. They age and develop quite well, and they speak without opening their mouths. There are a few moments in the film where the director has chosen to convey information simply through actions and facial expressions and these are the shining sequences of brilliance.  If they’re that powerful without even speaking, imagine how strong their performances are as they say their lines. Hugh Laurie has this brilliant steady tone to his voice, regardless of what Mr. Watts has just gone through. It’s almost chilling, and it adds something so special to the character. Xzannjah is brilliant as Matilda. She plays innocent, disturbed, brave, and so many other traits exceedingly well, while still allowing the audience to believe that this is all in the scope of her character. I’ll warn that the film is much more violent than I expected. If violence isn’t a worry for you in films, I would definitely suggest it. The performance of this cast shouldn’t be missed. 

Rank: 47