Movies

Review of “Affinity”

Directed by Tim Fywell and adapted by Andrew Davies from the Sarah Waters novel of the same name, Affinity is a beautifully shot costume drama set in Victorian England. Like Tipping the Velvet and Fingersmith, it has a lesbian romance at the heart of a tale that explores the underside of “proper” society. With a gloomy prison setting and a host of supernatural undertones, the movie carries a darker tone and creepier setting than the previous two works, but is consistent with the mood of the novel it is based on.

The film centers on Margaret (Anna Madeley), a wealthy young woman suffering from depression after the death of her father and the rejection of her best friend – and former lover – who’s gone and married her brother. Searching for a new way to get through her days, she signs up to become a “lady visitor” at a bleak women’s prison, Millbank.

Anna Madely

A mysterious girl named Selina (Zoe Tapper) soon catches her eye. Selina claims to be a spirit medium – a person who channels spirits and the souls of the dead. She’s also serving a long sentence after being convicted for murder, but she claims the murder was the work of one particularly strong and malicious spirit called Peter Quick.

At first, Margaret doesn’t know what to think about Selina’s mystical leanings, but after a few close encounters of her own (including a physical “manifestation” that’s impossible to ignore), she begins to believe. After an initial curiosity and attraction, their relationship builds slowly through Margaret’s many visits, and her reservations begin to melt away. She becomes obsessed with her mysterious friend, and the pair begins to bristle under the watchful eyes of the prison guards, particularly the head matron, who suspects that the two women are “sweet on” each other.

Outside of Millbank, Margaret falls deeper and deeper under Selina’s spell and begins to investigate Selina’s murky history. Her family and friends tolerate her bizarre new interests to a point, but everyone would prefer that she marry and settle down as soon as possible.

Margaret, of course, has other plans – involving Selina and the supernatural. In many ways, Margaret is as much a prisoner in her own life, dictated by gender rules and societal expectations, as Selina is in her physical cell.

 

The film has a chaotic pace and surprisingly restless camera work for a period drama. The initial exposition lasts no longer than five minutes, and the cinematography is characterized by handheld shots and close-up zooms – one is reminded of the camera work in Battlestar Galactica, of all things. This is a bit disorienting in a film that is otherwise deliberate and painstakingly crafted, right down to the authentic-looking corsets and fine silverware.

Thankfully, this doesn’t detract too much from the film. Instead it keeps the pace tight – especially for this type of movie – and the plot moving at all times. It merely feels like an odd, if excusable, aesthetic choice.

The acting is spot-on, especially from the two leads. However, the women share a bizarre chemistry that feels a bit hit or miss – a possible aftereffect of the pacing and Selina’s unclear intentions. Though the relationship is believable and presented largely from Margaret’s point of view, Selina presents a dissonance that is both intriguing and maddening.

Madeley makes Margaret’s frustration and obsession quite vivid, despite some difficult-to-swallow naiveté. For a woman who is supposedly so educated and intelligent, she makes a few boneheaded moves. But, as the adage goes, love makes people do crazy things, and Margaret is a person desperate for passion to bring her out of her long, miserable malaise. Once paired with glimpses into her inner thoughts via narrated journal entries, her actions become quite relatable.

Tapper’s performance as Selina is the embodiment of ethereal. With her light complexion and dreamy eyes, she is an otherworldly vision standing in stark contrast to her gloomy surroundings. When we (and Margaret) first see her, she is holding a flower – a forbidden item at Millbank – the first sign that there may just be something to her supernatural claims.

Zoe Tapper

Everything we know of Selina’s backstory is told through flashbacks depicting her days working as a popular medium – and parlor act for wealthy patrons – in Chelsea. During Selina’s “dark circles,” she manifested the souls of audience members’ loved ones. It’s all very dark and mysterious, depicted as being just this side of believable.

For its minor faults, the film is quite engaging and works better as a mystery than a romance. Whether Selina’s spiritual manifestations are real is questioned right until the twisty end, keeping the character enshrouded in mystery. Is she a slippery, gifted con or does she actually have “the gift”? In either case, Selina is incredibly magnetic, making it quite easy to empathize with Margaret.

In the inevitable comparison to Tipping the Velvet, Affinity is a bit more reserved, as well as much shorter (Velvet was a three-episode miniseries, after all). There’s very little physical romance (whereas the full version of Velvet had a few wonderfully scandalous love scenes), and a great deal more mystery and yearning.

The overall tone is quite dark, both literally – many scenes take place in the abysmal prison setting – and metaphorically, especially Selina’s dealings with the dark, powerful spirit Peter Quick. There’s murder, violence and one very unhealthy submissive relationship that is never fully explained, though it plays a central part in the film’s denouement.

At its heart, Affinity is about obsession, yearning and the darker side of life. While some of the filmmakers’ choices seem a bit incongruous (especially with the relatively jumpy camera work and speedy pace), the film is enjoyable, well-acted and genuinely intriguing. As a mystery that just happens to have queer women in the central roles, the movie delivers.

Affinity is the opening night film at Frameline in San Francisco, on June 19. This review was written after a screening at the Miami Gay & Lesbian Film Festival.

 

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