Certificate: 15
Running Time: 103 mins
UK Distributor: Dazzler Media
WHO’S IN THE LAUREATE?
Tom Hughes, Laura Haddock, Dianna Agron, Fra Fee, Julian Glover, Patricia Hodge, Indica Watson, Christien Anholt, Edwin Thomas, Timothy Renouf
WHO’S BEHIND THE CAMERA?
William Nunez (director, writer, producer), Guy de Beaujeu and Christian Parton (producers), Brian Byrne (composer), Adam Barnett (cinematographer), David Massachi (editor)
WHAT’S IT ABOUT?
In 1920s England, war poet Robert Graves (Hughes) becomes involved with American poet Laura Riding (Agron)…
WHAT ARE MY THOUGHTS ON THE LAUREATE?
As far as love-triangle movies this week go, The Laureate is certainly a big step-up from One True Loves (this one at least looks like it was shot with some kind of intrigue and passion).
In fact, it’s a rather interesting tale of creative minds clashing and bringing out both the best and worst in each other, which writer-director William Nunez delivers in playfully erotic and borderline campy manner that almost makes up for its somewhat lagging pace.
The Laureate begins in 1928, as celebrated war poet Robert Graves (Tom Hughes) finds himself in a creative rut, unable to write due to his traumatic wartime experiences, which his wife, painter Nancy Nicholson (Laura Haddock), can’t seem to help him out with. Robert soon comes across some inspiring poetry by American writer Laura Riding (Dianna Agron), and upon learning that she intends to move to England, he and Nancy invite her to stay at their family cottage, under the guise of being a new teacher for their young daughter Catherine (Indica Watson), so as not to upset the stuffy monogamous society they live in. Both Robert and Nancy are very quickly entranced by their charismatic new houseguest, and an unconventional relationship soon forms between them, but things start to get complicated when Laura’s manipulative tendencies begin to show, especially when Irish writer Geoffrey Phibbs (Fra Fee) comes into the picture.
Clearly cut from the same cloth as Benediction, Terence Davies’ recent biopic of fellow war poet Siegfried Sassoon (who’s also a character in this film, with Timothy Renouf showing up briefly as the figure), The Laureate retains some of the stuffiness and overly composed nature of Davies’ film, but here there is a greater sense of erotic passion and intrigue that doesn’t make this quite as hollow a viewing experience. The angle that Nunez goes with here, which focuses heavily on the ménage à trois relationship between these three creative individuals, is certainly an intriguing one, especially as the filmmaker leans into the intimate eroticism that slowly grows between them, which makes it a more stirring historical biopic than some of the others.
It doesn’t become too titillating either, as Nunez directs his leading trio of actors – all of whom do very fine work here – to feel comfortable in embracing their burning desires, not all of which are necessarily sexual. Tom Hughes’s Graves, for instance, is initially taken with Dianna Agron’s Riding because he recognises in her writing a spark that could genuinely help him out of his PTSD-ridden creative funk, and clings to her long afterwards like she’s a drug who also happens to provide both physical and cerebral stimulation. Meanwhile, Laura Haddock’s Nancy sees in Riding a free spirit who is unattached to the conventions of regular society, which in some ways generates a touch of envy since Nancy and many other women in early 20th century Britain are still struggling to acquire the right to vote. There is a genuine complexity in this central three-way relationship, which does make things relatively interesting as opposed to watching another handsome but stuffy British biopic.
However, while the intrigue is definitely present, The Laureate struggles to maintain a digestible enough pace for the viewer to become fully engrossed in this story. There are times when the film feels painfully slow, with little going on until it suddenly kicks things up a notch during the final ten minutes, which can cause your attention to wonder slightly as it takes its sweet time getting to the points it wants to make. It is slightly frustrating, because you can tell that the filmmakers and actors are all in on telling this particular story, almost in the style of a campy erotic thriller that one might have seen in the 90s (complete with its own manipulative femme fatale in the form of Agron’s Laura Riding, who at times feels like she was born to be played on screen by Glenn Close or even Joan Crawford back in the day), but the sluggish pace somehow dilutes the suspense that they clearly want you to feel throughout.
Even though it’s probably a bit too cosy for its own good, The Laureate just about holds your attention because of how it manages to deliver on its promise of watchable erotic silliness. It can be overly melodramatic in parts, especially in scenes where Tom Hughes goes full Deer Hunter in scenes where his character has some hardcore episodes of PTSD, as well as a conclusion that feel like it came straight out of a cliffhanger on a soap opera, but it’s mostly engaging because the performances are good, the filmmaking is handsome, and the story – as ridiculous and slow-moving as it can get – is rather interesting.
At the very least, make it this week’s love triangle romantic drama over One True Loves.
SO, TO SUM UP…
The Laureate is an interesting and occasionally silly erotic historical drama that has an intriguing angle which is handsomely made and well-performed, though a sluggish pace makes it slightly less enjoyable than it should be.
The Laureate is now showing in cinemas nationwide
