Miss Julie

Liv Ullmann adapts and directs this adaptation of August Strindberg's classic 1889 play, relocating the action to Ireland but otherwise preserving the 19th-century setting. Jessica Chastain stars as Miss Julie, daughter of a wealthy baron, with Colin Farrell as her father's valet, John, whom she teases and toys with to his evident discomfort. John is in a vague relationship with the cook, Kathleen (Samantha Morton)—who assumes that marriage is inevitable, although John is not committing—but apparently is in love with the beautiful, imperious Julie, an impossible love given each other's social status. And that's just the first act of this play, which features only these three characters whose relationships shift throughout, sometimes quite powerfully. This is very much a stage piece, complete with intense two-hander dialogue, complicated monologues, and emotional breakdowns. Julie is fiery and arrogant, John harried and nervous, but then the roles reverse as Julie loses all confidence as a consequence of her reckless games. Meanwhile, Kathleen stands by, aghast at all this crossing of class boundaries. Ullmann's direction is austere and carefully choreographed, although the claustrophobic atmosphere sometimes becomes oppressive and occasionally airless. But the pleasure here lies in the performances, which are superb. Recommended. (S. Axmaker)