Synopsis
In the lush tradition of the glorious films of Merchant and Ivory, comes the true life story of Leonie Gilmour (Emily Mortimer), whose life crossed continents, wars and cultures, embodied with courage and passion in search of art and freedom. A tender and inspiring story of a remarkable woman who nurtures the amazing artistic talent of her son who has only one way to succeed and one person to guide him, as he grows into the world renown artist, Isamu Noguchi.
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Cast
- Emily MortimerLeonie
- Shido NakamuraYone Noguchi
- Christina HendricksCatherine
- Mieko HaradaUmeko Tsuda
- Jan MilliganIsamu Noguchi
- Keiko TakeshitaSetsu Koizumi
- Kazuko YoshiyukiKiku
- Kelly VitzAiles Gilmour
- Nichole HiltzEthel Ames
- Jay KarnesDr. Rumely
Recommendations
- 75
Observer
Leonie is a rich tapestry of cross-cultural revelations, released to the public at last, and a welcome addition to an otherwise dreary movie season. - 63
McClatchy-Tribune News Service
No matter how great her ambitions, no matter how little she was able to accomplish, thanks to the strictures of her time, here was a woman history remembers simply through the force of her personality and the simple courage it took to be ahead of her time. - 50
Variety
Played with a strong spine and a resolute lack of charm by Emily Mortimer, Gilmour is a perfect vehicle for Matsui’s agenda, which is clearly a feminist/revisionist celebration of the life of a major artist. - 40
Village Voice
Well-shot and sometimes briefly affecting, especially when Mortimer is given a scene that lasts longer then thirty seconds, the film moves too quickly for its many incidents to have much impact, and what limited power it builds is dissipated by mortifying narration. - 40
Los Angeles Times
As a portrait of female strength and a celebration of the artistic spirit, Leonie too seldom comes fully alive. - 40
Arizona Republic
It’s a juicy story squandered by the poor telling. It’s got all the trappings of a good ol’-fashioned Merchant Ivory pic — lush locales, exotic period trappings — but none of the soul. - 40
New Orleans Times-Picayune
What Leonie is missing, however -- in its script, in its performances, really in everything about it -- is any hint of sparkle, any sort of compelling hook on which to hang its hat. - 30
The New York Times
Leonie Gilmour was almost certainly unusual and unusually self-reliant. Too bad that the film that bears her name ultimately reduces her to the mother of her child.
