In 1838, lovely governess Elisabeth agrees to bear a child of anonymous English landowner, and he will in return pay her father’s debt. At birth she, as agreed, gives up the child. Seven years later she is hired as governess to a girl on a remote Sussex estate. The father of the girl, Charles Godwin, turns out to be that anonymous landowner. So Elisabeth has to be her own daughter’s governess, and she can’t reveal the secret of her tie with little Louisa. Filmed on location in Firle, England and Calvados, France.
Cast is terrific across the board, breathing life into succinct, often exquisite dialogue, in a stiffling but delicious context. Marceau plays down her impish side in favor of stern, class-conscious control and barely contained sensuality. Ackland and Dillane are outstanding as a father and son from radically different molds. Kevin Anderson makes a brief but potent contribution as a visiting American sheep farmer. Spare but evocative production design perfectly complements scenes written and played out with beauty and economy. Christopher Gunning’s score is subtly dramatic. – Variety
Starring Sophie Marceau, Stephen Dillane, Kevin Anderson, Joss Ackland.