Synopsis
The story of American poet Emily Dickinson from her early days as a young schoolgirl to her later years as a reclusive, unrecognized artist.
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Cast
- Cynthia NixonEmily Dickinson
- Jennifer EhleVinnie Dickinson
- Keith CarradineEdward Dickinson
- Emma BellYoung Emily Dickinson
- Sara VertongenMiss Lyon
- Duncan DuffAustin Dickinson
- Jodhi MaySusan Gilbert
- Joanna BaconEmily Norcross
- Benjamin WainwrightYoung Austin Dickinson
- Catherine BaileyVryling Buffum
Recommendations
- 100
The Film Stage
The great theme of Dickinson’s life, Davies argues, is finding solace — not in religion, but in art, and A Quiet Passion itself can boast such moments of quiet catharsis. - 100
IndieWire
Given its themes and the tragic circumstances of Dickinson's life, "Passion" is a refreshingly humorous work. Its firecracker dialogue is invigorating; the assured, measured compositions are equally compelling. And in its sensitivity to intersecting conflicts related to womanhood and class, it is quietly masterful. - 100
Time Out London
The talk is pointed and careful in a household that savours the power and meaning of words, but it’s as much the imagery that makes this film such a painterly joy. - 80
The Guardian
It is Davies’ ability to invest even the most apparently-humdrum moments with some form of intense radiance that sustains his film. - 70
Screen Daily
If A Quiet Passion grows in stature as we watch, it’s partly thanks to Cynthia Nixon, whose account of a witty, intelligent, rebellious but also reticent and emotionally confused woman takes the edge off Davies’ sometimes grating formalism. - 60
The Hollywood Reporter
Despite a warmly interacting cast that includes Jennifer Ehle as Emily’s sister and Keith Carradine as her lion-maned, lionized father, and a valiant effort on the part of Nixon and Davies to externalize the poet’s inner demons in emotional, high-tension scenes, the film can’t escape an underlying static quality that extinguishes the flame before it can get burning. - 60
CineVue
While Davies vividly captures the period's austerity and Dickinson's despair at being misunderstood, there are a few too many scenes of repressed emotion followed by wild outbursts of grief. - 60
Empire
Thoughtful, emotional and often surprisingly funny, Terence Davies offers a rich if inconsistent portrait of a unique poet long deserving of a big-screen study.
