"Do you know where the wicked go?" To Jane Eyre!

Last night, we were fortunate to get an early preview of Jane Eyre in Evanston, IL, since we live in an area devoid of theatres that get independent films. There is something wrong when our local movie theatres have four screens dedicated to Never Say Never (Justin Bieber's movie), but a quality film like Jane Eyre is only available in Chicago. After carefully letting this movie simmer like a fine stew, we've concluded that it is, indeed, a good one. Jane Eyre is the story of a young orphan girl in northern England who must overcome many obstacles to survive and find an ounce of love. At first the movie seems a little confusing with flashback scenes. Believe us, there was a viewer seated next to us who could have used a summary or bullet points because he kept shouting "Are we in Scotland?" or "now what's going on!" Jane Eyre, however, does not take place in Scotland. The movie is a little slow to start, but Mia Wasikowska brings the screen a breath of life when she enters. She effortlessly captures the torture of her state and the lack of self-pity upon herself. When Mrs. Fairfax appears, played by the ever beguiling Dame Judi Dench, the movie starts to gain some more steam. For those of you obsessed with Dench's career, you will thoroughly love her portrayal of the hysterical Mrs. Fairfax role. Dench plays a wonderful elderly creeper lady and it is comforting to know that in some moments she is a lot like her Academy Award® Nominated role of Barbara Covett from Notes on a Scandal. Wasikowska does a wonderful job at portraying this iconic character as well as Michael Fassbender (from Inglourious Basterds) in his portrayal of Mr. Rochester. The film is visually elegant. The cinematography captures Jane's isolation and the multiple doorways and curtain backdrops easily act as tools to capture Jane's expressions. There are little luxuriant backgrounds and numerous stark locations, so don't expect to get your period-movie freak on. The real stars of this film are Wasikowska and Dench. Dench captivates audiences in her role and steals a few scenes. Wasikowska, on the other hand, is so finely calibrated as Eyre it is obvious this young actress is going places. Overall, the movie was well made and quite enjoyable. One complaint would be the audio because at times it was rather difficult to understand the whispered utterances. If or when this movie comes to a theatre near you, go and see the film.

This film receives 7 Mendys!