Overview
- Chloé Zhao’s adaptation of Maggie O’Farrell’s novel, starring Jessie Buckley and Paul Mescal, opened in UK and Ireland cinemas on 9 January following a December U.S. expansion.
- At a Variety screening-panel, collaborators described Zhao’s ego-free, collaborative approach and quick, instinctive decision-making across departments.
- Craft leads detailed choices that mirror character arcs, including Agnes’s evolving color palette, restrictive framing for Will, an oppressive glove workshop set, and costumes inspired by a rare Elizabethan doublet.
- Casting director Nina Gold said child actor Jacobi Jupe secured the title role after multiple auditions and noted the period dressing of more than 350 extras for the Globe sequence.
- Recent reviews emphasize Buckley’s awards momentum and the film’s cinematography and score, while some critics question its emotional intensity and methods.