Moustroll Good movie but grossly overrated

Matialth Good concept, poorly executed.

Mandeep Tyson The acting in this movie is really good.

Hattie I didn’t really have many expectations going into the movie (good or bad), but I actually really enjoyed it. I really liked the characters and the banter between them.

edwagreen Despite strong performances by Minnie Driver and Tom Wilkinson, this film fails to ignite the imagination of the viewer.By the way, what has become of Ms. Driver? She had such a potential in the film industry.This to me was almost like an 1850s version of Yentl without the musical fanfare. With the death of her father, Driver takes a position as a governess to a Christian family, hiding her Jewish identity.While I realize that this is a period peace, it was awfully dull even for 1850 England and Scotland.The lady of the house is most irritating with that sing-song voice of hers. I expected her to refer to Driver as dear at any moment. What kind of name is Mary Blackchurch? I know that Driver is trying to pass herself off as a Christian, but does this name signify all the way?In the interim, Mary finds love with the young charge's father (Wilkinson) and his emotionally unbalanced son.In the end, the only thing that we see accomplished is that Mary has found a profession to provide for her family-photography. Did we really have to be subjected to what was happening throughout the film?The early scenes of Judaism practiced in 19th century England and the cholera epidemic at the end could have been played up more. There is a definite underlying feeling of anti-Semitism by the Wilkinson family but that's never allowed to come out.

bibliofile Sandra Goldbacher's premiere as a feature film writer/director is groundbreaking. The discomfort some feel regarding the character Rosina (played by Minnie Driver) as a 19th century Jewess disguising herself as a Protestant in order to work as a governess can be attributed to the purposeful destabilization of the social hierarchy both within the film and without. Rosina (who calls herself Mary Blackchurch in her disguise) plays several roles in the household, each of which she makes her own in very subtle but important ways. This film is not necessarily satiating plot-wise, but is richly rewarding for its commentary on the role of women.

saska-3 THE GOVERNESS is a moody period piece, the meandering story of a Jewish woman who, upon the death of her father, sets out to 1830's Scotland, posing as a Gentile to get work to support her family in London.Rosina - or Mary, as she calls herself in a none too subtle piece of symbolic writing - is a rudderless child, a socialite with dreams of being an actress. She strikes up an alliance with her employer, and by accident solves a crucial problem in his research with photography. Giddy with success, they begin a halting and uncomfortable affair while the eldest son of her paramour falls hopelessly (and inexplicably) in love with her.And like a child, she fails to understand the consequences of her actions - in the end, betraying those she deceived in order to make a life for herself.Many claim this is something of a feminist manifesto, but I disagree. Whether intended or not, this film only resonates with me if I think of it as a cautionary tale. In the end, Rosina's greatest disappointment is the truth - that she lied, happened upon a way to help a man she wanted to be both her father and her lover, and in the end contributed nothing but destruction. As such, the end of the film gives me the impression that nothing she did, no one she used, made her happy - and that is exactly as it should be.Did I need a movie this long and langorous to teach me this lesson? Not at all. On the contrary, had it not been for excellent cinematography, unique score and my hope that she'd get her come-uppance, I wouldn't have stuck with it to the end of the film.Fans of Minnie Driver will likely be disappointed by her uneven performance but may wish to see it anyway; I doubt young female fans of Jonathan Rhys-Meyers will be able to stay awake for the payoff they expect, and I can't help thinking this holds too little cultural detail to be of interest, even to photography buffs. The 3 points I award the film are solely for its visual style and score. On the strength of their other work, I assume the actors' performances are so disappointing because of a poor script and worse directing, but they are, in the end, unremarkable.

Zahbug13 I enjoyed this movie very much. However, I am still a bit baffled as to what the entire point of the movie was. I also thought that another actress as the lead would have added to the dramatic essence of this picture. Really though, Minnie Driver must have been delusional to choose that mean, confused man over the young and handsome Jonathan Rhys Meyers. Although I enjoyed the movie, Minnie Driver's character annoyed me quite a bit. She was too weak at one moment, and then at the next she was supposed to be in complete control of everything. Besides that, the movie was wonderful and it must have been great if I can not enjoy the main actress, and yet still find myself uncontrollably drawn to the story.