Maudie

The Canadian East Coast in the 1930s: Taciturn Everett Lewis (Ethan Hawke) leads a very reclusive life as a fish peddler. In order to bring some order into his little shack and to get some company, he decides to hire a housekeeper. The only person who answers the ad is Maud Dowley (Sally Hawkins), who is actually unsuitable for the job. Having suffered from rheumatoid arthritis as a child, her hands are crippled and she also finds it difficult to walk. Nevertheless, Everett hires the petite woman. Although she doesn't really perform her duties, Everett sticks with her after initial arguments. She brings some life and color to the drab shack, which she paints with colorful pictures. Over time, a very special relationship develops between the two misfits that brings Everett something he has never known before: Love.

Maudie tells the true story of Everett and Maud Lewis. It is the story of an unusual love as well as that of an unusual artist, esteemed as a pioneer of folk art. The film, shot in Newfoundland, lives on the one hand from the contrast between the almost endless expanse of the Nova Scotia landscape and the extreme narrowness of Everett's hut, but on the other hand also from the intense acting of the two main characters. As two people excluded from society who have never really experienced anything like affection and yet find each other, Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke deliver more than convincing, at times very moving performances.

The film has many very nice moments to offer, though also some extremely tough ones. At times, a little more pacing or tighter staging would have done the whole thing good. Another problem is that it is only made clear to the viewer in a very hidden way over which time period the story is told. You could almost think that it's about one year of the two's life, if there weren't always small allusions to the fact that more time has passed. Ultimately, the film covers a period of over thirty years, which is never really made clear, but would also be kind of interesting to know.

But in the end, the positives outweigh the minor flaws. In a raw, unsentimental way Maudie tells a really nice story, which in retrospect is much more life-affirming and positive than the rather dull tone of the production would suggest. And for that there is clearly a: Worth seeing!

An article by Frankfurt-Tipp