Iris - 2001

Her greatest talent was for life

If you know of the acclaimed and brilliant novelist Iris Murdoch then you will want to see this.

Iris Murdoch was an extremely talented and prolific writer. Her relationship with language was extraordinary and this film focuses on both the young and mesmerising Iris and the old, declining and Alzheimer-ridden Iris, portrayed perfectly by Winslet and Dench. It also focuses on Iris's long and towards the end, long - suffering relationship with her husband John Bayley, (Jim Broadbent shining as the devoted partner). The acting was brillint from all three people, although I do wish that there had been a bit more time spent on the young Iris, as the majority of the film concentrated to a greater extent on Iris's final years which although true, was pretty depressing.

I found that Jim Broadbent really stood out in this film for me and his acting was incredibly poignant and personal. Fantastic acting and a really emotional storyline.

Rating 4/5