My Cousin Rachel stars Rachel Weisz as a magnetic mystery
Oscar winner keeps us wondering about her intentions, in the wake of a death cloaked in uncertainty.
By Linda Barnard, Toronto Star June 8, 2017
Rachel Weisz keeps the audience guessing in 'My Cousin Rachel,' based on the Daphne Du Maurier novel
We’re never sure whether Rachel Weisz’s superbly portrayed title character is a scheming femme fatale or a misunderstood woman in My Cousin Rachel.
Based on Daphne du Maurier’s mystery about obsession, death and deception, writer-director Roger Mitchell (Notting Hill) and his gorgeous 19th-century period piece leave it to the audience to puzzle it out.
My Cousin Rachel opens with questions and leaves them unanswered — sure to spark debate when the lights go up — about whether widowed Rachel is killing her way to a family fortune or is a victim of innuendo as she tries to assert herself in a world uninterested in women’s financial independence.
Weisz’s masterful, subtle work as unknowable Rachel is punctuated with ambiguity. Each time we think we have her figured out, Weisz subtly changes minds. It is a delicate, careful performance of charm and understated menace from the Oscar-winning actress.
Sam Claflin and Rachel Weisz in a scene from 'My Cousin Rachel,' set along the dramatic Cornish coast
Sam Claflin (Their Finest) is 24-year-old Philip, orphaned as a child and raised by his adored guardian and older cousin, Ambrose. He loves their boys’ life in his late father’s manor house, where the only women allowed inside are dogs.
Ill health sends Ambrose to Florence where he later writes Philip that he’s fallen in love with their cousin, Rachel.
It’s unwelcome news to often-petulant and emotional Philip when letters from Ambrose arrive praising his new love. Their tone changes when she’s described as a reckless spender who makes Ambrose feel trapped. He’s suffering headaches and strange ailments. Then comes a hidden plea inside an envelope, begging for Philip’s help to free him from “Rachel, my torment.”
Philip goes to Italy to find Ambrose has died and Rachel, who he is convinced is his murderer, gone.
When Rachel arrives in Cornwall, Philip is prepared to hate her but is almost instantly smitten. Whether Ambrose was poisoned, or died of the brain tumour revealed in a later autopsy that made him paranoid and violent, raises doubts.
Sophisticated Rachel charms the brooding Philip, turning the neglected house into a great manor again. She brews him the same herbal teas — tisanas, she calls them with a smile — that she made for Ambrose. They share cups, secrets and more.
Rachel Weisz’s portrayal of a lady in control in 'My Cousin Rachel' feels modern despite the story being set in the 19th century.
He’ll inherit the house on his 25th birthday, although Rachel has an unsigned will that could change her fortunes. Adoring Philip will help her with that, having proof of her honourable intentions.
Holliday Grainger leads an excellent supporting cast as family friend Louise Kendall, who isn’t entirely able to hide her feelings for Philip. Her father (Iain Glen) has no such problems with Rachel, warning Philip about her “notorious” character. Meanwhile, grumpy manservant Seecombe (Tim Barlow, excellent in a small role) has his own opinions.
My Cousin Rachel keeps us guessing. Every question asked has an answer, except for the fundamental one, the answer hidden behind Rachel’s black lace window’s veil.
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