Timothy Spall’s “eccentric” period drama Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day is now available to watch in the UK and Ireland. After premiering at the South by Southwest festival (SXSW) this month, the movie was released on the big screen earlier today.
Based on Woolf’s 1919 novel of the same name, the story follows Katharine Hilbery, a brilliant young woman whose desire to study astronomy is threatened by a forced engagement to family friend William Ryodne.
Though her parents are adamant she must become a wife, Katharine is far more interested in her friendship with spirited suffragette Mary Datchet and her surprising bond with working-class editor Ralph Denham, as she is pushed her to question her entire worldview.
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“Night & Day is an un-romantic comedy about a passionate astronomer Katharine Hilbery who does everything she can to avoid romantic love and marriage,” reads the official synopsis.
“Fun and contemporary in tone, this refreshing film showcases an ensemble of humourous performances against the ravishing backdrop of London in 1910, advances in science and technology and crumbling Edwardian patriarchy.”
The movie boasts a star-studded cast, fronted by Cyrano’s Haley Bennett as Katharine, with Jack Whitehall playing her bumbling suitor William. Spall and Jennifer Saunders play controlling parents Terence and Bess Hilbery, while Lily Allen and Elyas M’Barek portray Mary and Ralph.
So far, Night and Day has received a mixed reception from critics, with Filmhounds saying it “tries to offer far more than what is expected with unsatisfying results”.
Annabel Moeller
“Like the book it’s based on, the film is a lesser work that tries to make its source material more relevant for a modern audience, only to still feel somewhat regressive in its overall execution,” agreed Film Feeder.
Meanwhile, The Guardian awarded Night and Day four stars, calling it: “such a sweet story and guilelessly eccentric – a butterfly fluttering just beyond the wheel of realism.”
“Virginia Woolf’s Night and Day boasts a wonderful cast and striking audio and visuals. While its humour doesn’t always land and its treatment of misogyny, homophobia and discrimination could have gone further, it makes up for it with emotional depth and electric character dynamics,” added The Upcoming. “With impressive performances by Bennett, Whitehall and Spall, and an ever-resilient lead, one can’t help but fall for the charms of this story.”
Virginia Woolf’s Night & Day is out now in UK and Irish cinemas.
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