Genres

Visitors Review

2012-05-21 01:32:16

Gutsy Gothic

How marvelous to find a modern British drama unshrouded by multiculti or other manifestations of political correctness! This is a straight-out suspense story that manages to float elements of supernaturalism and existentialism into a well-paced plot that glides smoothly from the haut monde to the demimonde, from rococo parlors to rock-walled prison cells. No rose-colored lens distorts this stark vision of Victorian society. Strict morality and convention may cast a pall over one's hopes, but so may the spector of spiritual and physical poverty. Naivete and sexual frustration can prove to be as dangerous as material deprivation and desperation. Superbly acted and directed, this drama hosts a cast of multidimensional characters whose depictions may startle and even disquiet contemporary viewers who are accustomed to sensitive treatment of subcultural portrayals. Such unflinching grittiness, however, adds layers of possibilities to a plot that digs deep into the underworld of a strait-laced society. Surprises and plot twists abound as the protagonist--as well as compliant viewers--allow themselves to wonder just what is possible in this cinematic dimension. What, if anything, is real in this particular realm? Apparitions? Clairvoyance? Autokinesis? Each audience member should have a self-satisfying answer by film's end.

zugurudumba 2012-05-20 17:38:50

Disappointing till the last moment

I tremendously enjoyed Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith and I waslooking forward to another adaptation of Sarah Waters' novels.Affinity, unfortunately, did not deliver.The storytelling felt a little bit rushed and I constantly had thefeeling of missing important plot elements. At times, I was sorry fornot reading the book before watching the movie.I did not quite like the acting of Zoe Tapper and I could not relate toher character. The final "twist" was not a twist at all for me, as Iwas telling myself since halfway into the movie that Selina is a scamand is into Margaret just to get herself out of the prison.The character of Margaret Prior almost negated my suspension ofdisbelief, as I tried to understand her infatuation with Selina, andfailed. The filmmakers did not offer me enough reasons for a lovestory, enough reasons to care for this woman's feelings.Only watch this if you're a fan of Sarah Waters.

sarastro7 2012-05-20 04:03:10

A shame about the ending...

I checked the IMDb rating of this film before watching it. 5.7 - nottoo promising. But as I subsequently watched it, I found myself moreand more surprised at this low rating, because this was well-producedand well-acted and would probably, I thought, get a 7 from me, at thevery least. The plot was intriguing and exciting and understated in anappealing way. Which is why the nonsensical ending was sodisappointing.I haven't read the book, but I understand I have the exact same problemwith the film's ending (different from the book's) as do those who'veread it. It's a common theme in stories of the supernatural that it iseventually revealed to be a hoax (Dean R. Koontz, anyone?), so while itwas not surprising, it would have been a great deal more refreshing ifit had turned out to be real. But, it was deception. It was allintended to deceive. The very core of the plot, the whole concept andthe entire point was deception. Hence the story undermined its own plotby having Selina nurture regrets and have feelings for Margaret afterall. Because Selina and Vigers could only have pulled something likethat off if they were really, really committed to these fraudulentschemes, and worked together with complete trust between them.Therefore Selina's regrets just don't make sense.The story, at the end, in my opinion, should have focused on therelationship and genuine feelings between Selina and Ruth Vigers, whichwould *actually* have made this into a proper love story after all -except of course for the a bit more than slightly silly fact that theywere lesbian rapists (uh - a bit of a stretch in any case) and thus thebad guys. But I could actually have looked beyond this because of theera in which it took place; an era where lesbians could not openly liveout their heartfelt lifestyle, but had to find very alternative andcreative ways of doing so.Anyway, the "spirit rapes" being their chief motivation made the wholeplot rather dumb, and after that revelation how on earth are wesupposed to care for these characters? So, the IMDb rating is prettyaccurate after all. A shame.6 out of 10.

2012-05-19 13:06:20

What it lacks: redeeming value

Never thought I'd say this: a film with a lesbian subplot that can cure insomnia. I have not read any of Sarah Waters' novels, but this is the third movie I've watched that was based on them and I'm beginning to think that Waters has a poor opinion of women and lesbians (albeit disguised in her smoke and mirrors). In this convoluted suspense story, the female characters are crooks, swindlers, gullible, lonely, controlling, violent, desperate, suicidal -- and in one important scene, sexual molesters. If this was also the novel, then it's a mystery to me how Waters has managed to gain a loyal following of lesbian and feminist readers.

Richard Aldred 2012-05-10 00:41:08

A Brilliant And Atmospheric Drama

I decided to stay up and watch Affinity due to being " a grippingdramatisation" and "full of feints and foreboding" as promised by thisweeks RadioTimes Magazine....I can say without hesitation that I wasnot disappointed.The story was powerful and full of human emotion. I felt that ZoeTapper who plays the women's prison inmate/spiritualist Selina Dawesand Anna Madeley as upper-class lady Magaret who together form a bondof strange depths are absolutely fantastic as their characters. Full ofemotion, foreboding and uncertainty until the very end. Nothing canprepare you for the final twist.I have never read the book unlike the previous reviewer and to behonest I am not sure I am going to now because I would not want it tochange the impression I was left with following the film....so powerfulI dreamt of it the same night.Watch it or you really are missing out.Richard

2012-05-09 14:49:28

The book is better but...

This review is from: Affinity (DVD) You have to approach this movie with the idea "that it will not be like the novel". They have imagined lots of things that are not in the book... I'm thinking a lot about the Peter Quick character. When the movie ends, the viewer has no remaing question about what "really" happened like the reader of the book. In fact, if compared to the other movies made out of Sarah Waters novel(Tipping the Velvet ans Fingersmith), this one is really different from the book. However, the person who had watched it with me (he have'nt read the book) enjoyed the movie very much. Costumes and recreation of the historic period are well done (except for that horrible beard wig... well being a wardrobe master myself I was a little puzzled by that one and laugh out loud about it!). The finale (and the begining!)of the movie looks like the one that was done in Janes Campion "The Piano".

nevillebooglie512 2012-05-01 00:20:21

A very captivating movie

I am very disappointed that there where a lot of very low ratings forthis movie by a good number of people. Personally I found that the movie was very captivating, and it made mewant to understand better what was exactly happening all along. The costumes where marvelous, and the twist at the end (although Iexpected something similar, because it almost always happens in thesekind of movies) was very good. It is a very good drama, however only for people that know how toappreciate it. People who like a lot of action, and not understandingwill not appreciate it as much.

hudiefanny 2012-04-30 15:01:29

Affinity

No doubt this is definitely not the best movie adopted from SarahWaters' works, as far as I'm concerned. However, it's also not at thebottom of the list. I kind of like this dramatic plot but stronglydetest the false ending.Similar to Fingersmith, Affinity is a story of skin game. A woman plansto acquire her own freedom or even happy life on the sacrifice ofanother miserable woman. The swindler commits her scheme successfullythrough all the lies and deceptions. But there's no winner in SarahWaters' stories. Huge price is paid. The conspiracy costs too much,purity, clear conscience, and maybe more.The victim of Affinity, Margaret, was at the tragic focus. Living in atraditional society and a high-brow community, she found herselfhomosexual. Her secret lesbian lover, Helen, betrayed her and it madethings even worse that Helen married her brother and made herselfMargaret's sister-in-all. The only consolation left to Margaret was astrand of hair in her necklace lock. She kept all her secrets there andin her diary. Six months after her father's death, she was offered ajob in Milbank Jail as a lady-visitor. There, she ran into her destiny,Celina.Celina was sentenced to a four-year imprisonment. But the moviegenerously provides scenes to support her claim of innocence. Margaretdevoted her curiosity, compassion, and finally her affection to thisso-called affinity, which turns out to be beguilement in disguise.Celina fled away with her real partner Vigers in a ship while Margaretcommitted suicide by drowning herself in the river. The ending would beprefect if it just stopped here or at most with Celina's inexplicabletear drops. The illusionary intimacy in water and Celina unquenchablegrief which aroused Vigers' strong reproof "Remember whose girl youare" are really too much.Is the affinity between them real or just a lie? I would like to makeit unknown if I were the film director, because it is unknown. Whocould tell for sure that Margaret killed herself out of nothing elsebut losing her one love of lifetime? She was desperate, when she wascheated for the second time, when she was given the last straw andtaken away immediately after, when she lost everything she had, hermoney, her wooer, her hope for a brand new life. I cannot deny that shehad a crush on Celina, but was it true love without any impurity? Andas to the adorable puppet and great performer, Celina, who knows whoher real affinity was? They were far away from affinity, not evenclose.I haven't read this original novel yet so that I don't know whose ideait is to fake or at least exaggerate their love in the end. SarahWaters, probably. She's too merciful. Maybe that's true that she workedout Fingersmith years later to compensate the sadness of this tragedy.It's a much better work.Most of Sarah Waters' protagonists are lesbians. But I think she'sintended to tell more than homoerotism. She writes about people. Women,especially the homosexual ones, are the most sensitive andsophisticated group of all. Sarah Waters makes her novels a stage, toreveal their, or to be more accurately, our life, love, desire,solitude, and the darkness in the deepest of our hearts. Lesbians arethe representatives rather than all her subjects.As one of the woman audience, I've seen myself mirrored in her work,more or less. And I've been seeking for the solution of life from hermasterpieces. Have I found the answer? No, I haven't. I don't know if Ican or if anyone else can. I even cannot tell for sure whether there'ssomething like that in her creations or in this world. But one thing iscertain that Sarah Waters tells us through her stories: Affinity maynot find us some way out. But deception absolutely leads to destructionand corruption.

2012-04-30 00:06:07

Didn't Work for Me At All

This review is from: Affinity (DVD) This film version of Sarah Waters' brilliant novel "Affinity" seemed rushed and muddled and had very little emotional impact on me. I recognize that it must have been challenging to adapt the book, whose strengths are its detailed character development and slow ratcheting up of psychological tension. Although the book has action scenes and dialogue, much of the story is built on the internal thought processes of characters which cannot be as easily conveyed in a movie. The film's use of flashbacks to show the backgrounds of the main characters (a device used effectively in the book to slowly reveal character and keep you on edge) were too fleeting and, even for someone who has read the book, confusing. Two other weaknesses undermine it. The lead actresses, altho lovely to look at, are sort of one-note, not very subtle actors and I didn't feel any chemistry between them that would support them developing a real passion for each other (which is rather crucial to the concept of "Affinity"!). There is also a third character who plays a critical role in the story who is only brought in minimally at the very end of the movie. If you haven't read the book, you are likely to wonder where the heck she suddenly came from and what her motivations are/were. I wonder whether they shot additional scenes with her that maybe ended up on the cutting room floor, because her placement in the movie just seems so clumsy.The special features section of the DVD includes interviews with the director, producer and screenwriter (the great Andrew Davies, who penned the excellent screen versions of "Pride & Prejudice," "Bleak House" and "Little Dorrit"). I couldn't help thinking as I listened to these three men repeatedly refer to the women characters as "girls" and make simplistic statements about female needs and desires that the whole project would have benefitted from having women at the helm.Sarah Waters' book "Affinity" is a really gripping, emotional story. Skip this video and read the book. The film versions of Waters' Fingersmith and Tipping the Velvet, both produced by the BBC, are MUCH better and highly recommended!

2012-04-29 20:07:35

I love Sarah Waters Novels

This review is from: Affinity (DVD) I liked this adaptation on a spooky Sarah Waters novel. I am a huge fan of her writing and was a bit disapointed with another adaptation of a previous novel, but this movie did a good job. The movie is a bit spooky without being scary. The viewer can feel the passion and uncertainties that every character expresses even though the story is more rushed than the novel.

2012-04-27 16:34:19

would have been better is not for marketing

There are three problems with the movie. The first of which is lighting. Ok I know is a victorian prision and it not going be the best lit place in the world, but its also just a movie so realism is not needed. The second is the structure its a bit hard to follow all the flash backs, and some extra footage puting sceans into greating contex would be been welcomed. The third is marking, as the ending shows and if follow the drug use of one main characters, its the story of one most brutal assults I have ever seen. This is what makes the book and movie much better then somthing one would see on American over the air tv or the laughable lifetime nextwork.

2012-04-27 04:37:34

"Affinity" Video Is Wonderful

This review is from: Affinity (DVD) The acting and the sets are wonderful. Generally, the movie is faithful to Sarah Waters' novel; unusually, I would say it improves on and enhances the work it is adapted from. The special features include excellent interviews with the author, the scriptwriter, the director and two of the actors which add tremendously to appreciation of the work.

2012-04-26 00:10:34

Good story but not entertaining enough

*SPOILER ALERT* I'm a big Sarah Waters fan, but Affinity was the one book I could not finish. I hoped, however, that I would be able to get into the movie. This adaptation provides a great, complex story, and the sets and costumes are top-notch. I had a couple issues with the film, though. For one thing it seemed to tap into the worst of lesbian stereotypes. Yes, we have the evil, controlling butch lesbian, and, even worse, the finale includes a woman who commits suicide because she cannot find happiness. My expectation is that in this day and age a writer will avoid stereotypes and find fresh and original ways of depicting lesbian experience. Furthermore, there appeared to be no chemistry between the two leads. I never got a sense that there was a great passion.I admire Sarah Waters very much. However, I suspect she writes many of her books by setting up a challenge for herself. That's great, but ultimately she often becomes self-indulgent because she forgets that part of her job is to be entertaining.

2012-04-25 15:58:02

just OK . . .

This review is from: Affinity (DVD) the friend for whom i bought it says it's OK, but she wasn't thrilled . . .

soozyxx 2012-04-23 12:28:18

A wonderful period drama

This film is a must for fans of costume drama, which the British do sowell. It has an unusual storyline, and evokes an atmosphere of theVictorian era really well. I don't want to give away too much of thestoryline but basically it centres on the main character (a middleclass spinster) and her relationship with one of the prisoners that shevisits during her 'project'. I was glued to it all the way through andyou feel 'drawn in' to film. There was a very good twist of the plot atthe end which I certainly didn't see coming! A definite one for thegirls - not sure guys would be so enthusiastic, although (withoutgiving too much away) they may be interested in the developing'friendship' of the two women!

2012-04-22 20:38:15

Interesting story!

Interesting story! As expected, it is beautifully filmed, the dialogue is convincing and the actresses are wonderfull - like other Sarah Waters stories. The actresses do a wonderful job in displaying love for one another, despite the lack of love scenes between them. I Really enjoyed the twist in this one, very unexpected! I give it a 4 however, because the end was a bit disappointing. I agree with the previous reviewer in that if you like happy endings movies, this one will likely dissapoint. Overall though, I though it was a very good movie and worth a look.

2012-04-16 15:26:33

A Big Let Down

In short, this movie was horrible. I expected even better than Tipping The Velvet and Fingersmith. Was Sarah Waters asleep on this one ??? The main character actress wasn't believable, the jailed woman was much better. I understand the occult, and being gifted with a talent. It was a nice touch, but it just didn't come together. The flasbacks were hard to follow, although I also understood the intent. To have it end the way it did was cheap, I've seen that ending before elsewhere. If I had wanted to see a good love story I would have popped into my dvd player "Somewhere In Time". And that is male on female, but much appreciated. I wouldn't give this movie a second thought.

2012-04-16 03:32:47

Terrible

This was an awful movie! I am a big fan of Sarah Waters Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith were excellent! This movie was too short, I could not connect to any of the characters, the directing was bad, and it did not give enough of the story! Don't waste your time or money. Get Tipping the Velvet or Fingersmith.

chflindt 2012-04-07 05:57:31

A huge let-down.

Affinity was the television low point of Christmas 2008. It seemed tohave been thrown together at the last minute, with jarring editing,terrible sound balances, and a script that seemed to have been puttogether by a cliché-filled computer. Everything seemed wrong - themen's facial hair, the extras' wooden street-walking, the dreadfulmusic, the sheer repetitiveness (we turned it into a drinking game: onefinger for 'walks nervously through prison gates', two fingers for'walks nervously into cell'; we all got very drunk.) I loathewobbly-cam shots, trying to watch characters as they bounce around thescreen in a haphazard fashion, but occasionally, it can be bearable -Bourne, for instance. 'Affinity' was not the place for wobbly-cams,especially when they are mixed - seemingly at random - with steadyshots. I hate to ask it, because he is supposed to have TV's MidasTouch, but is Andrew Davies entering 'Emperor's New Clothes' territory?

r_landrygan 2012-04-06 16:37:20

Perfect

I read the novel first, and was so glued to it that i got through it inthe matter of a weekend. when i went to see the film i was notexpecting to be as impressed as i was through reading it, but thisadaptation is as magical as the novel and did it the justice itdeserved. it is they type of film that can be watched time and timeagain without losing its appeal. i would recommend it to anyone,regardless of whether they like period dramas or not, because it is notthe average period drama - it is a film that transcends time, and willreach some part of every person. personally i would go and watch itinnumerable times if i could, and cannot wait for the release of theDVD.