Miss Julie

Miss Julie is a historical drama film from 2014, a fiercely-assembled stage play adaptation by director Liv Ullmann. The movie showcases renowned actors such as Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell, and Samantha Morton in what appears as a power play three-hander. Ullmann, acclaimed Norwegian actress and director, offers in her fifth directed film an adaptation from a classic 1888 play by August Strindberg.

The film offers an enriching cinematic experience with its focal point revolving around social class, sexual politics, and abuses of power. Occurring on a midsummer’s eve in rural Ireland, 1890, it explores the thrilling psychological terrain of dominance and submission, master and servant, love and hate, lust and loathing.

The titular character, Miss Julie, is played brilliantly by Jessica Chastain whose reputation on the big screen suggests a promise of compelling expression and nuance that she doesn't compromise on. She embodies a troubled, fiery yet vulnerable aristocrat, full of dynamic intensity and deeply complex emotions. Julie is mesmerising, repelling, and fascinating all at once.

Colin Farrell, as John, the valet and oft-underappreciated object of Miss Julie’s advances, conveys a great understanding of the depth and problems of his character. He shows excellent range, bouncing from servile responsibility to commanding dominance, sharing a volcanic chemistry with Chastain that pulsates at the heart of the film.

Samantha Morton, meanwhile, stars as Kathleen, the cook who is also John’s fiancée, bringing raw honesty and potent resentment to her roe. Her performances offer a powerful counterbalance to the nobler pretensions of the other two characters.

The film's narrative takes place over a period of one feverish, couped-up night, which is inundated with tension and repressed emotions. The vibrant performances and deftly-woven subtext keep the audience captivated, though the story can be viewed as heavy and dramatic. However, the minimalist setting only magnifies the intensity of the performances. The relentless focus on the lead trio forces the audience to live and breathe in the claustrophobic environment of their unspoken intentions and repressed desires.

Miss Julie is visually stunning, thanks to the cinematographer Mikhail Krichman. The stone cold beauty of the period setting is beautifully captured. From the sprawling estate grounds to the austere interiors of the servants' quarters, the mise-en-scene perfectly complements the mood of the film. The beauty outside the castle starkly contrasts with the dark, oppressive atmosphere inside.

The film's costumes are a significant part of the storytelling - Julie’s dresses are as oppressive as they are beautiful, acting as another form of class and gender constraint. The score within the movie also plays a crucial role in driving the emotional undertones of the scenes, ranging from menacingly somber to an unsettling calm.

In this film, Liv Ullmann returns to her roots as a psychoanalyst for the dark and psychological, furthering her exploration into the minds of deeply flawed and complex characters. It's a tough watch, growing darker and more disturbing as it progresses.

Overall, Miss Julie is a painstakingly crafted film that takes the audience on a whirlwind tour of power, repression, and destruction. With its beautifully nuanced characters, it delves into class differences and political power-play in a way few films dare to touch. The performances by Chastain, Farrell, and Morton are excellent, their characters claustrophobically locked in a destructive dance of power and desire. The film’s setting, cinematography, and costuming all combine to create an atmospheric pressure cooker of a movie that continually builds towards an inevitably heartbreaking conclusion. It’s a challenging film, certainly not for everyone, but for those who appreciate tense, dramatic period pieces, it is a deeply satisfying watch.