TIFF 2020 film ‘Ammonite’ reviews the rationality of same-sex romantic, intimate relationship
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Toronto, Sep 24 (Canadian-Media): Directed and screen-played by England-based Francis Lee’s film, ‘Ammonite,’ starring Kate Winslet, recipient of the TIFF 2020 Tribute Actor Award, and Saoirse Ronan is a love story between a solitary British paleontologist Mary Anning, played by Winslet, and a rich, grieving wife Charlotte Murchison, played by Ronan.
Mary, being shunned by any scientific society, due to her work as a paleontologist, which was not considered in the early 19th century to be a woman’s work, was left alone to work by herself.
But when Charlotte is entrusted to Mary’s care a bond is forged between them.
forges a bond with who
Winslet told Joanna Vicente, Executive director and co-head of TIFF during her virtual conversation with her that “embracing the groundedness and stillness of Mary was most challenging for me.”
As Mary and Charlotte get closer, their relationship turns physical with incredible chemistry both emotionally and physically.
The element of human relationships in “Ammonite” is not overplayed as Lee explained to Joanna during his conversation with her, “on a shoot when you have a lot going and we were super quick and there were a lot of scenes to shoot in this film.”
Lee by his unique talent was able to surface the same-sex romantic intimate relationship in a setting without hiding, and not having to avoid society.
Produced by Iain Canning, Emilie Sherman, and Fodhla Cronin O’Reilly with Executive Producers Simon Gillis, Mary Burke, Rose Garnett, and Zygi Kamasa ‘Ammonite’ was filmed in the U.K.
The casts of the film are Kate Winslet, Saoirse Ronan, Gemma Jones, James McArdle, Alec Secareanu, Fiona Shaw
Trained as an actor. Lee worked in theatre, the film, and television before turning to filmmaking. His debut feature, God’s Own Country (17), won numerous awards including Sundance’s World Cinema Directing prize, the London Film Critics’ Circle Award for Breakthrough British/Irish Filmmaker, British Independent Film Awards for both Best British Independent Film and Best Debut Screenwriter, and the Bill Sherwood Award (Best First Feature) at Toronto’s Inside Out Film and Video Festival. Ammonite (20) is his latest feature