Director: Alan Rickman
Stars: Kate Winslet, Matthias Schoenaerts, Helen McCrory, Stanley Tucci, Alan Rickman
Sabine (Winslet) is a talented landscape designer who gets hired to work on the palace of Versaille. She begins a romantic affair with André, all the while battling class barriers, political scheming, and a haunting past.
I knew barely anything of A Little Chaos going on. All I knew is that it is directed by Alan Rickman and stars Kate Winslet. When I came out I was feeling unsure and after thinking about it I have come to the conclusion that I didn’t really like it.
There were a few different plots going on but some of them were barely touched on (like Tucci’s gay affair, which was revealed with really clunky exposition – his wife blurts it out with no prior context, and there’s no reaction to the news either). The romance between Sabine and André never boils over. I didn’t get a sense of simmering passion between them and the chemistry was sorely lacking. The political manoeuvring was undercooked and I found it difficult to keep track of which person held which position within the King’s court.
Sabine was traumatised by something in her past, and although the reveal is directed well, it’s left too long to have proper impact. The film is really slow paced but it never feels like it’s building towards anything. The tension isn’t there, and although Rickman works the camera lovingly over the scenes there’s just a lack of a strong plot or romance. It’s dull, and aside from Winslet’s natural charisma there’s not anything compelling here.
