A love triangle costume drama spanning two decades, this new film from Thaddeus O Sullivan sees 1930s society wife Madeleine (Williams) taking her eccentric sister Dinah (Bonham-Carter) in after their father dies. Big mistake.
Before you can say ‘Where’s Jerry Springer?’ Madeleine’s husband Rickie (Bettany) is embroiled in an illicit affair with his sister-in-law, to the ultimate detriment of all involved parties.
Though a quality production, there are a couple of problems with The Heart Of Me. The biggest of these is how utterly unlikeable two of the main characters are. Williams’ character may be a bit of an ice-maiden, but she hardly deserves the self-absorbed Bettany and Bonham-Carter who between them make little or no effort to keep their pants on for the sake of their significant other/sister. That could have been understandable, but as their entire relationship seems to be predicated on little more than a few poetry readings and Bonham-Carter’s eccentric dress sense it’s hard to buy into their romance as an inescapable grand passion.
As a result, there’s a nasty undercurrent to the film that frequently threatens to capsize the entire project. Thankfully, the uniformly fine performances and impressively lush aesthetic save The Heart Of Me from its failings - but it’s frequently uncomfortable, and occasionally dour viewing.