Movie Review: Winter’s Tale

Winter’s Tale is a tragic romance drama rife with magical realism but it is marred by a convoluted narrative.

By Constance Yeo

PHOTO: winterstalemovie.com

Winter’s Tale

Mystery, Drama, Fantasy [NC16]
Collin Farrell, Jessica Brown Findlay, Russell Crowe
129 min

Oscar-winning screenwriter Akiva Goldsman (The Da Vinci Code, I am Legend) makes his directorial debut with Winter’s Tale – a romance drama rife with magical realism. A tragic romance sets the backdrop of the movie, combined with fantasy elements in the form of angels, demons and miracles. Celestial beings and ordinary people weave seamlessly together in a magical world.

Audiences may find the movie convoluted as it starts off by jumping between 20th century and present-day New York City. The shaky cinematography and seemingly aimless cat-and-mouse chase between Peter Lake (Colin Farrell) and Pearly Soames (Russell Crowe) may lull audiences to sleep before the movie properly begins. However, the plot does pick up pace –– albeit only halfway through.

The first half of the movie, set in 1916 Manhattan, shows Peter as an orphaned crook who is adept at stealing. He was raised by Pearly, a demon who poses as a gangster. He decides to quit Pearly’s gang when he grows up, incurring the demon’s wrath.

After leaving Pearly’s gang, Peter meets heiress Beverly Penn (Jessica Brown Findlay, Downton Abbey) during a chance encounter — aided by Athansor, a flying white stallion — and is smitten by her charm. However, Beverly is stricken with Tuberculosis (known as consumption in the movie), and this puts an expiration date on their whirlwind romance.

Ironically, Beverly’s consumption is the only redeeming factor in the first half of the movie. Her condition lends a soft glow over everything she sees, creating a mystical reality for the two lovers. The subtle symbols of light and hope make up for the mediocre chemistry between the star-crossed lovers.

After a twist of events, we see Peter in present day Manhattan, a century later, where he emerges physically unscathed but is haunted by a sense of emptiness.

The plot thickens as incidents from 1916 start to bear an uncanny resemblance to events in present day Manhattan, and Peter is forced to break out of his deplorable stupor. He slowly connects the dots and realises that his destiny lies in modern day Manhattan. Fight scenes culminate between Pearly and Peter as their paths cross again in the present day.

The awkward pacing of the movie does not do justice to the 1983 novel of the same title, by Mark Helprin. Still, screenwriter Goldman depicts a clear message that love transcends obstacles and time.