Euphemia "Effie" Gray (Dakota Fanning) is a young Scottish woman who is married off to renowned art critic John Ruskin (Greg Wise). Ruskin and his parents (Julie Walters and David Suchet) are friends of the Gray family and while Effie comes from humble backgrounds, the fact that the Ruskins are better off than her family and are esteemed in social circles isn't something they let her forget. The Ruskins are only concerned with their son finding success and wish for nothing to stand in his way, seeing and treating Effie as though she were a pesky insect. And so Effie moves in with John and his parents, he with no intention to ever move out and make house with his new wife. Effie begins to quickly realize that this was not a marriage she signed up for as John is cold, distant, and disgustingly walks away from her on their wedding night rather than consummate their marriage.At a dinner party, Lady Eastlake (Emma Thompson) takes to Effie and becomes like a confidant to her, taking more care of her than her new family ever thought to. As Effie's health slowly begins to deteriorate and John becomes colder and colder, not consummating their marriage, leaving her with strangers while he works, and showing a complete disregard for her as a person, Effie meets and falls in love with painter Everett Millais (Tom Sturridge), who shows her more affection in one look than she's ever received from her husband. After finally having enough, Effie takes the matter of her marriage into her own hands.
The film is quiet and the buildup slow going, that the pacing is somewhat jarring, most especially in the first half of the film. The movie, having been filmed far prior to its original release date in 2014 but suffered from plagiarism battles before release, sometimes comes off as far too factual, even when it never reveals that it's based on a true story. But Thompson tries to make the best of a story that challenges views on marriage and women's rights, especially in an era where women had none. The cinematography is wonderful. Director Richard Laxton using the beauty of the Scottish highlands and open space as the opposite to the large house and London's enclosed and claustrophobic spaces. Freedom vs. imprisonment. The film's scenes are also dark and dreary, much like Ruskin's mood, keeping the tone of the film restrained and unhappy.Some say her husband never touched her because he was too sheltered and due to Victorian repression, may have been disgusted or shocked by Effie's body on their wedding night. He's shown in a bad light (rightfully so) and never quite regains any sympathy simply because we never understand his motives. Greg Wise, a bit miscast as Ruskin (the real-life Ruskin wasn't as old as him in his age difference with Effie), paints the air of an uncaring and pompous man. Tom Sturridge as Pre-Raphaelite painter is the exact opposite. Sensitive, caring, and frustrated with Ruskin's behavior towards Effie, he's the ideal in Effie's eyes, and Sturridge portrays him as such.
But perhaps the highlight of the entire film is that Effie, alone, mistreated, silent, and forgotten, doesn't allow herself to wait around for anyone to save her from her miserable life. She, after a few years, takes matters into her own hands and resolves to annul her marriage by legal and mostly socially acceptable means (these events must have been a spectacle back then). Effie is a singularly sympathetic character, having done nothing but exist, and although she doesn't say much, Dakota Fanning uses her expressive eyes to portray Effie's inner turmoil and misery and we immediately feel with her.
So while the film takes a bit to really get going and the pacing is a bit slow through the first half of the film, the story is progressive and one of inner strength and female adversity in the face of mistreatment and degradation. Thompson different doesn't shy away from putting her own spin on things but keeps the facts relatively true, tweaking them only for thematic drama. Thompson herself is the only form of some light hearted relief, though slight. The film, while at times dreary within its own atmosphere, is empowering in many ways and will have you wanting to look up the whole story afterward.
