The Beguiled

Sophia Coppola's first remake, and also her first film with an actual plot rather than a succession of moods, "The Beguiled" brings a lone soldier into a house full of isolated women and girls. Coppola can do moody shots for days (the southern mansion where most of the action takes place is quite gorgeous, and always shot through a summery mist) but I'll admit the buildup doesn't always keep my attention - Colin Farrell perhaps strikes me more as the only port in a storm rather than necessarily a figure who inspires instantaneous lust (even with his Irish accent intact). Still, once the rubber hits the road and a succession of events see hostilities emerge, there's an intriguing story going on here of masculine and feminine power. Nicole Kidman brings her usual chilly professionalism as the head of the school, Kirsten Dunst is in good form as the somewhat repressed assistant and Elle Fanning gives a good line in seductive naivete. Oona Lawrence as the young girl who finds the wounded solider also is appealingly direct, both when open hearted at the beginning and later when her intentions change.

This is probably not top-ten material for me (Coppola's love of beauty shots hang a little too heavily over actually-moving-the-plot-forward) but it's an engrossing enough film to keep me involved.