Maudie

If you don't know anything about Maud Lewis, know this: she had a heck of a life.

nytimes.com

What It's About:

Maud Lewis, when she is simply Maud Dowley, is considered a burden to her family. Plagued by juvenile arthritis, she is unable to do much to be self-sufficient and is not given a say in her own affairs. Upon seeing Everett Lewis, a fish peddler and odd job man, place an advertisement for a live-in housekeeper, Maud sees this as her chance to make her independence. However Everett is ill-mannered, sometimes cruel, and has little patience for Maud's eccentricities. Yet somehow these two find how well two misfits can coexist. Amidst doing her daily duties, Maud paints every surface she can find - the walls, shelves, postcards, etc. and when one day a customer of Everett's wishes to buy one of Maud's paintings, her life is changed forever.

Why You'll Love It:

• Devastatingly beautiful, this movie is both uplifting and heartbreaking all at once.
• Sally Hawkins stuns again. She is utterly unrecognizable, and it is incredible. Her physicality in the role completely transforms her into Maud.
• Ethan Hawke is also wonderful as the gruff Everett Lewis. His growth and change throughout the movie makes him a really interesting character in his own right
• If you want to learn more about Canadian art and artists (rather than just The Group of Seven), this is a great way to learn more about it without pouring through art history texts. 
• As a character study, this is great. It really focuses on Maud and Everett more than anyone else. You get a real feel for who these people are, and what they have gone through in their lives. 
• This movie will cause you to look at how you see people with disabilities. Maud is hard-working and capable - even if she has to do things differently than other people. People constantly underestimate her, and she proves them all wonderfully wrong.

Why You Might Want To Skip It:

• Maud had a hard life, and it's not exactly a happy movie. There are some sweet and lovely moments, but overall it has a sad and cruel tone to it. If you are looking for a feel-good film, this is one to pass over at this point.
• It isn't exactly historically accurate. Some parts of this film definitely capture the reality of the situation, but there are also a lot of inaccuracies. Now, if you are going into the film not knowing anything about Maud Lewis (like I was), then they probably won't bother you at all. If you're already interested in her life story and want to know more, then a few things may frustrate you.
• Not much really happens, essentially. This is about the growth and life of two people, and it isn't one with a rich, active storyline. If you need a lot of content, this mostly occurs in a two room house and a tiny town, and will likely bore you.
• If you like to be very clear on how you feel about characters, you might find this a bit of a tough one to watch. Everett is not entirely a good man, nor entirely a bad one. He is definitely very flawed, and it is up to you how much of an impact those flaws have on his character as a whole. Some will forgive him, and others will think his behaviour early on spoils his chances of redemption.

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Are you familiar with Maud Lewis' work? Check it out!