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The biographical drama "Maudie" is a delicate and beautiful little film, which is utterly appropriate for the frail person whose life — trying to add beauty to a harsh world — it aims to depict.
Maud Dowley (played by Sally Hawkins) is introduced as a woman in her early 30s, living with her stern aunt, Ida (Gabrielle Rose), in a small town in Nova Scotia, in 1938. Her brother Charles (Zachary Bennett) has sold their late parents' house, and all that is left of her old life is a box of art supplies. Maud likes to sneak out to the dance hall, to have a beer and listen to the music, but the prim Ida frowns on her when she does.
Determined to be independent, even with the debilitating arthritis she has had since childhood, Maud answers a job posting for a live-in housekeeper. The man who placed the ad is Everett Lewis (Ethan Hawke), a taciturn fish-peddler and junk collector who lives in a tiny house — with only a bedroom upstairs and the kitchen downstairs. Everett is cruel to Maud at first, telling her she ranks below his dogs and his chickens, and even striking her for talking out of turn.
Over time, though, Maud stands her ground with Everett, and he softens a bit. The two share a bed — it's the only place in the drafty little house they can both sleep — and at one point Everett prods Maud toward a sexual relationship. Maud, recalling a dark incident in her past, replies, "If you're gonna do that, we're gonna get married." A while later, they do.
As she tends to chores in Everett's house, Maud also pulls out her paint brushes and starts making pictures. Soon, her artwork catches the attention of a New York society type (Kari Matchett), who recognizes Maud's talent as a folk artist and offers her money for her paintings.
Maud Lewis is well known in Canada, and Irish director Aisling Walsh and Canadian screenwriter Sherry White takes pains to get the details of Maud's life and art right. The movie even re-creates in detail the Lewises' little house. (The original was restored after their deaths in the 1970s, and now resides as part of a permanent exhibit in the Art Gallery of Nova Scotia in Halifax.) The picture they paint of Maud may be romanticized — a recent biography depicts Maud's life as impoverished and full of pain — but it is touching.
Hawke gives a solid performance, showing Everett at first as a hard man but capturing the tenderness that emerges with Maud's steady presence. But it's Hawkins who makes "Maudie" a gem, with a performance that melds the physicality of Maud's arthritis with the quiet joy she found in adding a bit of beauty to the world.
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'Maudie'
Sally Hawkins gives a moving performance as a Canadian folk artist, dealing with crippling arthritis and personal tragedy.
Where • Broadway Centre Cinemas, Megaplex Jordan Commons (Sandy).
When • Opens Friday, July 21.
Rating • PG-13 for some thematic content and some sexuality.
Running time • 115 minutes.