Eric Till's adaptation of Jovanka Bach's play is set in Yalta, circa 1905, where playwright Anton Chekhov faces multiple challenges: his tuberculosis grows worse (despite his protestations to the contrary), he is struggling to complete The Cherry Orchard, and his overly protective sister Maria is furious when she discovers that he has married Olga Knipper, an actress with the Moscow Art Theatre. The tension between Anton and Maria fuels what is essentially a two-person film (a few minor characters are basically walk-on roles, while Olga is heard in voiceover reading letters sent to Anton). Anton is aloof and dismissive of his sister's concerns, while Maria's attempts to improve her brother's health--to the point of removing all of the lamp oil in their home so he cannot write into the middle of the night--are strident and often seem ridiculous. Till manages to expand the production's theatrical roots with imaginative direction, creating a chamber piece fraught with stress and recrimination. Ron Bottitta captures the essence of Chekhov's multiple conflicts, but Gillian Brashear's performance as Maria is somewhat uneven (her line readings alternate between mechanical blurting and genuine emotional heft), although she does successfully create a tragic figure unable to differentiate between self-pity and pride. Recommended, overall. (P. Hall)
See also:
https://www.films.com/ecTitleDetail.aspx?TitleID=248039&r=SR
http://planetgroupentertainment.squarespace.com/chekhov-and-maria-for-academic/