Sundance Film Festival movie review: 'The World to Come'
Two women find unexpected intimacy amid the hardship of 19th century farm life in the drama 'The World to Come' (screens at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival).
In short: Set in the 1850s upstate New York, Abigail's (Katherine Waterston) grief-stricken and dreary rural life with her husband Dyer (Casey Affleck) is disturbed by the arrival new neighbors Tallie (Vanessa Kirby) and husband Finney (Christopher Abbott).
This is the thawing of Abigail's heart, frozen in heartache and gradually warmed through her personal and gentle conversations with Tallie. This sexual awakening drama stands out by very specifically taking Abigail's perspective, with narration that documents her innermost thoughts on her strained marriage, life after the death of her young child and her increasingly intimate relationship with Tallie. The unfortunate side effect of centering 'World to Come' in Abigail's journey is it does limit Tallie's characterization. While she is more than a concept, the film finds its footing in the effect Dyer and Tallie have on Abigail's grief and outlook.
Director Mona Fastvold masterfully lets the tone shift and sway as Abigail's relationships wane and intensify. Scenes between Abigail and her husband Dyer have a quiet tension, as they co-exist in an uneasy peace - as if living in an arranged marriage. Affleck is well-cast as the downtrodden Dyer, a man existing day-to-day without hope - barely surviving and certainly not living. This austerity perfectly counters the warmth of Abigail's scenes with Tallie. For as many so-called love stories and romances exist in film, very few articulate the specific sensation of falling in love. Scenes brim with the actual feeling of butterflies in the stomach ... carry a dreariness and dread when Abigail laments the lack of love and light in her world.
'The World to Come' should be used in screenwriting classes as the template of effective voice over. Narration is oft a poorly used device - a crutch of poor storytelling and merely a means of delivering clunky exposition to plainly explain what could not be otherwise communicated. Abigail's lyrical narration exudes a passion that belies Waterston's understated performance. And amidst unforgiving weather and exhausting chores, Abigail's diary chronicles her life's passions and sorrows as she loses one love and finds another.
Final verdict: Beautifully written and composed, this slow burn of romance is an affecting relationship drama set against the rugged life on the frontier.
Score: 4/5
'The World to Come' screens at the 2021 Sundance Film Festival. This period drama is rated R for some sexuality/nudity and has a running time of 98 minutes.
Directed by Mona Fastvold / Screenplay by Ron Hansen & Jim Shepard / Score by Daniel Blumberg / Cinematography by André Chemetoff / Editing by Dávid Jancsó / Starring Katherine Waterston, Vanessa Kirby, Casey Affleck & Christopher Abbott.
