Mr. Turner (2014)

Mr Turner is a film about the last 25 years in the life of painter J.M.W. Turner, one of the first impressionists. It stars the brilliant Timothy Spall as the titular artist who is mesmerizing in the roll and is directed by slice-of-life/ social realist director Mike Leigh. I went into the film expecting a lot looking at all the sparkling reviews the film was getting from critics but, frankly, I was very disappointing. Throughout the 150 minutes I never felt happy, sad, scared or excited. The only feeling I had was of sheer boredom throughout the film.

I couldn't get immersed in the story in the characters, primarily because I didn't know who anyone was or what was going on. There was little to no context of the film it never told you a date or location which means the rapid scene and setting changes were very disorientating, this means I couldn't get an understanding of the characters and couldn't emphasize with them. I understand this is Leigh style of film making but while it works on his other films where it is completely fictional, for me, it didn't work on a biographical style film.

The film had barely a story, it just rattled on like a runaway train without rhyme or reason. The scenes were just snapshots with characters popping in and out sporadically. It didn't tell the story of turner, it simply showed some of the things that happened to him without explaining what was actually going on.

I know film buffs will say, "but you just didn't get it!" and I can understand where they are coming from, but, if I didn't enjoy it I didn't enjoy it and there's nothing that can be done about that.

Although, that being said, just because I didn't enjoy the film, it doesn't mean it was badly made. Leigh's directing is nuanced and exquisitely done, the cinematography is beautiful and the acting is outstanding, this was frustrating because I could really appreciate how much effort was put into the film and I could appreciate how well it was made but, try as I might, I couldn't enjoy it. Good film-making doesn't make an enjoyable film just as much as an enjoyable film doesn't need to be perfectly made.

In the end Mr Turner turns out to be as fun and interesting as watching paint dry (pun intended). Despite some stand out scenes, (such as in the gallery and at the Ruskin's estate) the whole thing falls flat. I'd recommend it to someone studying history of art or is interested in Turner and his work, otherwise, I'd give it a miss.