‘The Hours’ exposes heart, soul to viewers
With imagery of suicide attempts, mental breakdowns and physical illnesses, “The Hours” initially seems destined to provide a downbeat cinematic experience. For some, the PG-13 picture surely will register as an emotional ordeal.
But for those willing to open their hearts and minds to the flawed but fascinating characters, it will rank as a cinematic work filled with beauty, heart and soul.
Featuring the dream-team cast of Meryl Streep (“Adaptation.”), Nicole Kidman (“Moulin Rouge”) and Julianne Moore (“Far From Heaven”), the complex tale follows a trio of women – British writer Virginia Woolf (Kidman) penning “Mrs. Dalloway” in the 1920s, a depressed California housewife (Moore) considering suicide in the 1950s and a Manhattan book editor (Streep) caring for a dying poet in 2001 – enduring similar emotional challenges in different time periods.
The three are linked by Woolf’s 1925 book, “Mrs. Dalloway,” a tale about a woman contemplating her choice between a secure life or a daring existence.
Based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning 1998 novel by Michael Cunningham, “The Hours” crosscuts between the lives of the three women.
British director Stephen Daldry (“Billy Elliot”) maintains a studied pace that perfectly suits the narrative and allows the diverse elements to dovetail into an uplifting ending that leaves one stirred due to the cumulative emotional power of the material and performers.
Daldry paints the screen with shots of water and flowers to emphasize certain themes, and those who carefully study the images will be rewarded by the artistic richness of “The Hours.”
Most of all, the director benefits from Streep, Moore and Kidman (whose face is unrecognizable due to a prosthetic nose transforming her into Woolf).
Each actress embraces her role and shows the dark side of her character, especially in the case of Moore’s pregnant housewife/mother who’s being emotionally suffocated by a supposedly picture-perfect life in America’s suburbs.
Also impressive are the supporting players, including Ed Harris (“Apollo 13”) as a poet dying of AIDS, Toni Collette (“The Sixth Sense”) as a seemingly self-satisfied status seeker in the 1950s and Allison Janney (TV’s “The West Wing”) as a lesbian watching her significant other of the last decade endure a heartbreaking loss.
“The Hours” challenges viewers to approach it without preconceived traditional ideas about life, love and happiness and embrace women whom initially seem in need of emotional rescue.
These women ultimately face the world and discover, as Virginia Woolf says, that “you cannot find peace by avoiding life.”
FILM REVIEW
“The Hours”
Grade: B+
Starring: Meryl Streep, Nicole Kidman, Julianne Moore, Ed Harris, Toni Collette and Allison Janney; screenplay by David Hare, based on the novel by Michael Cunningham; produced by Scott Rudin and Robert Fox; directed by Stephen Daldry.
Running Time: 118 minutes.
Parental Guide: PG-13 rating (strong adult themes, harsh four-letter profanity).