At first, I confess that Ammonite struck me as an extremely slow film. Watching Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) walking along the beach, I only saw a strange woman obsessed with collecting stones; in fact, I didn't quite understand what she intended to do with them. I even thought that perhaps she made bracelets or crafts to survive.
However, as the plot unfolded, the story captivated me when I realized that Mary was actually a brilliant self-taught paleontologist. It didn't surprise me at all how, in that era, everything was male-dominated, relegating women to a secondary role, while she did the hard work of discovering fossils that men then took credit for. It reflects a period in which women played a secondary role.
The plot twist comes when a collector, captivated by her talent, enters her life and they decide to go into business together. However, a few days later, due to travel plans, this gentleman asks her to look after his wife, Charlotte (Saoirse Ronan). Charlotte was a young woman steeped in deep melancholy and with a clear lack of affection. Although their relationship was initially distant and difficult, the isolation fostered an intimate, close, and very passionate bond. I felt that the young woman simply needed love and understanding, something she genuinely found in Mary's arms.
Unfortunately, the realities of the time confronted both women: such a romance was impossible. Charlotte was a married woman, and their love was met with absolute rejection from a puritanical society. Therefore, the ending isn't the typical Hollywood happy ending, nor one of those stories we're used to seeing, but I liked that it didn't completely close the door, leaving a subtle possibility open between the two. It's a film that's difficult to digest at first, but it has a human and social undercurrent that makes you reflect. It highlights some history, romance, and the fate of an impossible love marked by the rules of the time.
I liked the film; it's easy to watch, very tender, and has beautiful scenery.
I used Google Translate (my language is Spanish)
Rating: 90/100
Originally posted through scrobble.life/movies.
