Lee\u2019s film follows real-life 19th century paleontologist Mary Anning (Kate Winslet), who lives with her mother (Gemma Jones) in Lyme Regis on the Dorset coast in England. Mary hunts for fossils and sells them in a shop attached to her home, sending the larger ones to be studied by England\u2019s scientific community. She\u2019s approached by a wealthy tourist with scientific aspirations (James McArdle), who pays Mary to take him on a beach expedition. Having had his fun, he takes off, leaving his wife Charlotte (Saorsie Ronan), who\u2019s dealing with depression related to a miscarriage, in Mary\u2019s unwilling care. After Charlotte is struck with a physical illness, Mary nurses her back to health, which leads the two women to open up to each other. <\/p>\n\n\n\n There\u2019s an interiority to Mary and Charlotte that Lee suggests but, frustratingly, never explores. After Charlotte\u2019s convalescence, the subject of her miscarriage never comes up again, which feels strange, given that it\u2019s been a defining element of the character up to that point.. It\u2019s also disappointing to see Ronan so subdued, when her work in movies like Little Women<\/em> and Lady Bird<\/em> allowed her to be complex and charismatic. We do see a little of that charisma sprinkled through this film, but it\u2019s rarely displayed in relation to Mary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Winslet works hard to bring humanity to the closed-off Mary, but there\u2019s not enough material here for her to do much other than look hardened. A conversation between Mary and her ex, Elizabeth (Fiona Shaw) suggests that she\u2019s capable of sustained passion, but again, it\u2019s something we barely see. Apart from Mary\u2019s unique profession, there\u2019s nothing about the character that suggests we should want to spend time with her–the folks surrounding her, Shaw included, would make for a much more enjoyable experience.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Even Ammonite\u2019s<\/em> visuals are sapped of beauty. A visit by Mary to Elizabeth\u2019s home, and later to Charlotte\u2019s home in London, are the sole instances of color, suggesting that Lee\u2019s choice of palette reflects Mary\u2019s existence and the landscape in which she works. All these moments do, however, is remind us of what we\u2019re missing. Portrait of a Lady on Fire<\/em> also prominently featured a rugged, windswept coast, but Sciamma at least managed to make it look pleasant.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Ultimately, Ammonite<\/em> doesn\u2019t do much to justify the necessity of its existence. This isn\u2019t to say that Mary Anning\u2019s story isn\u2019t one worth telling, but rather that the film seems to do her a disservice by making her so unpleasant to be around. By being so subtle and withholding, Francis Lee isn\u2019t being economical with his storytelling, but simply dull. At two hours, there\u2019s certainly space to go deep, just an odd lack of willingness.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Ammonite” is out Friday on demand<\/em>.<\/p>\n\n\n\n![\"\"](\"https:\/\/crookedmarquee.com\/stage8\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/12\/Ammonite2-1024x579.jpg\")
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