There are biographies which attempt to tell the story of one's life with as much emotion and as much intensity as possible. Iris tries so hard to do so that it eventually slacks off in the end. Iris is the story of female writer Iris Murdoch, a world-renowned author who suffered Alzheimer's disease. Through the love and guidance of her husband, fellow author John Bailey, she was able to enjoy the last moments of her life and not feel frightened by death. Iris is played brilliantly by Dame Judi Dench and deserved an Oscar nomination for her role. Her facial expressions and personification of the character made us realize what Iris had become and made the audience feel sad. Equally compelling is Jim Broadbent as John Bailey, who gives a pitch-perfect performance as a husband who knows he has lost the woman he loves. He misses the fiery passion of Iris and longs for the freedom that she once had. Throughout the film, we are able to see glimpses of Iris's past and are able to see her freedom to speak her mind. We learn that she was indeed a passionate woman who was not afraid to express her sexuality and opinion on matters such as politics or society. Young Iris is played effectively by Kate Winslet and makes the audience realize with her tone of voice and character improvisation that the real Iris Murdoch was once a magnificent storyteller. The film is good performance wise and makes the audience realize that you could expect no more from such fine and respected actors. However, it is in the storyline in which the film loses its balance. It does not maintain the same passion as the actors present to the project and leaves us with a lot of questions and not enough satisfaction at the end of the film. The writers left a lot of details out of Iris's life and that is why the film is so poor. The storyline instead makes the audience hungry for more than what they bargained for. What we see on the screen is this interpretation of a woman's life that is a knockout performance wise. However, it leaves the audience with questions rather than answers.
Lenny's Grade: **1/2
Lenny's Grade: **1/2