“No one ever feels lone in a bookshop.”
Set in a small East Anglian town in England, 1959, Isabel Coixet’s The Bookshop is an intriguing piece that challenges the less is more philosophy by allowing her audience to ride along on this casual, but subtle journey.
Emily Mortimer flawlessly portrays Florence Green, a free-spirited widow who loves to read. In a rather impulsive haste, Ms. Green decides to open a bookstore in the conservative costal town of Hardborough. And though she will financial risk everything for the sake of a good read, it is ultimately her willingness to stock books that ignite a rather intense cultural awakening amongst the citizens of the small town that puts her in the crosshairs of Violet Gamart (Patricia Clarkson).
To many there is nothing better than being surrounded by shelves of new books as they eagerly await readers to join their words on a wild adventure of love, heartache, pain, and joy. And to an extent, that simplistic thought drives Coixet’s film as she never works to overindulge her viewers in too much dialogue or action. Rather, she allows the characters to do most of the talking as they peacefully go about their business, living a life and crafting a story that while engaging, appears to be for no one other than those on the screen.
Based on Penelope Fitzgerald’s novel by the same name, the film is elegant in its approach, focusing heavily on character development and utilizing many of the tactics that make for a great book: symbolism, foreshadowing, style and tone to craft a clean, tidy and tight knit story of love, loss, and greed.
Both Mortimer and Clarkson give truly outstanding performances. Though they rarely share the screen together, each has a way of carrying there portion of the story with immaculate detail and drive. Mortimer’s Green possesses a soft and fragile approach - from her eyes to her voice and mannerisms, she always appears in control and remains poised for success. Though she never commands the attention of the room, her will and desire make her presence known, and successfully counters that of Clarkson’s Gamart, who is used to getting her way through conniving and bullish actions. Though Gamart is a highly regarded socialite of the town, she hasn’t impressed everyone, and she is far from getting Green’s approval or sympathy.
While the back and forth battle between these two women proves entertaining (if not infuriating), it is ultimately Green’s relationship with two supporting players that gives the film its heart. Bill Nighy stars as Edmund Brundish, a reclusive of Hardborough who bonds with Green over the love of books. A widow himself, Brundish is one of the few supporters of Green’s bookshop, him and Green’s assistant Christine (a remarkable performance by Honor Kneafsey), providing a breathe of fresh air for our lead protagonist.
Through a strong sense of foreshadowing, the film’s final ten minutes are painful, but not at all surprising. While you feel a little empty inside for all those books lost without a home, there is a glimmer at hope as you get a glimpse at the bigger picture. Though the battles aren’t always won, the war is a constant fight - and sometimes we don’t even realize the impact we had in the overall picture. To put it in the context of a book, our life is merely a chapter to the world’s book. The Bookshop does a splendid job of reminding us of that.
