Reel Rundown: Actor Kristin Scott Thomas makes impressive directorial debut in ‘My Mother’s Wedding’
Known mostly for appearing in such films as “Four Weddings and a Funeral” and “The English Patient,” Kristin Scott Thomas is one of those actresses who only occasionally snares a lead role but always ends up making an impression.
It helps that she boasts what are some of the most cinematically striking eyes in movie history.
But she has acting chops as well. Her performances in the two films mentioned above won her, respectively, a Supporting Actress BAFTA and a Best Actress Oscar nomination.
And now she’s both an actress and a director, thanks to the film streaming on a variety of services titled “My Mother’s Wedding.” Based on events taken from her own life, Thomas co-wrote the script with her husband, the screenwriter John Micklethwait.
Scott stars as Diana, twice a widow, the mother of three daughters and engaged to be married a third time to Ted (James Fleet). But though Diana is the mother of the film’s title, she plays a secondary role.
The main focus is on the daughters. Katherine (Scarlett Johansson) is a naval officer, in line to become the first woman to command a British aircraft carrier. She’s also in a same-sex relationship with Jack (Freida Pinto), and the two share custody of a son.
Victoria (Sienna Miller) enjoys her own measure of fame, being a celebrated actress who enjoys the attentions of both a rich French suitor and an old flame. Finally we have Georgina (Emily Beecham), who has hired a private detective to confirm that her husband is cheating.
What goes on between the three sisters, who have gathered to attend their mother’s wedding, takes up most of the film. And, too, each is troubled by her own personal tribulations.
Katherine feels torn between her career and responsibilities both as a partner and a parent. Victoria is caught between her desire for security and the possibility of actual love. And Georgina … well, besides being the youngest and most insecure of the trio, her problem mainly involves her narcissistic spouse.
Overshadowing everything is the specter of the two dead fathers, both British naval aviators who died while on duty. Katherine in particular is haunted by a long-held secret concerning a promise she had made to one of them.
Much of this plays out like a daytime drama, with only Miller among the siblings able to summon up any real energy to portray Victoria’s blend of need and self-regard. For her part, Johansson seems to think that a perpetually furrowed brow is the best way to depict worrying.
Then comes Thomas, who shows up in the climactic scenes to take the daughters to task for squabbling when they should be celebrating their mother’s finding a man who, late in life, succeeds in making her happy.
More to the point, Diana chastises her daughters for letting their fantasy memories of their long-dead fathers affect their adult relationships, both with each other and with their own loved ones.
The moment comes late, and it doesn’t completely make up for some of the awkward moments that come before. But it does remind us of what good acting can achieve.
Especially when that acting is done by a first-time director who has shown convincingly that she’s more than just a screen star with angelic eyes.