Christopher Hampton
Carrington

Norman Mailer said of the Beat Generation: "These kids think they invented fucking." The same could be said of the woke culture (even though "culture" and "woke" are contradictory concepts): they believe they have discovered sexual inclusivity, unaware that already in the last century ménage à trois and explorations of every sexual nook (interpret as you wish) were widespread.

Carrington tells the life story of the painter Dora Carrington (Emma Thompson), who detested her own name (interpret this as you will), and the writer Lytton Strachey (Jonathan Pryce), an openly gay man. Both from affluent families and connected to the Bloomsbury Group (whose most famous face was Virginia Woolf), they meet in England while the Great War rages on the continent. Strachey, a conscientious objector, wins many affections. Carrington, androgynous and complex, is fascinated by him, while her "fiancé" Mark Gertler—who would like to consummate their relationship—encourages the friendship between the two. Ironic that his most famous work is titled Merry-Go-Round, which will be the leitmotif of Carrington's destiny, although only marginally "merry".

In 1917, Carrington and Strachey begin cohabitating, later expanded to include Ralph Partridge in a ménage à trois that lasts years and culminates in the marriage between Carrington and Partridge. With the literary success of Strachey, the house expands, and the ménage extends to six. But after a temporary calm, the crisis is inevitable.

Even though this is not a puritanical Merchant-Ivory production, don't expect long and titillating sex scenes: there are few, and they only serve to highlight the characters' discomfort. The heart of the film is the emotional dynamic, with Carrington playing the role of the lover, and Strachey as the one who mostly allows himself to be loved.

Divided into six chapters, the film suffers from a limited budget for costumes (Carrington more or less always wears the same clothes despite the two decades depicted), but it boasts an impeccable soundtrack by Michael Nyman. In the last two chapters, as the story slides towards drama, the dialogue gives way to his perfect music. An impeccable choice that underscores how there was nothing more to say between the characters.

Not a must-see film, but interesting, directed by a director known mainly as a screenwriter for the film adaptations of Dangerous Liaisons and Atonement.