![]() ![]() There’s more tension in a scene in which Isabella tries to make a Japanese green tea pancake stack concoction than there is in the paternity test reveal. Likewise the question of whether or not Matthew is in fact Clarissa’s father. But it’s hard to feel particularly invested in either relationship, since both feel more like convenient plot devices rather than genuine emotional connections. There are several romantic subplots: Isabella and Matthew spark intermittently together and Mimi forms a friendship with Felix (Bill Paterson), a local eccentric and inventor. The production design taps into the kind of moneyed boho aesthetic which makes everything look like the inside of a Portobello Road bric-a-brac boutique. ![]() Like Matthew’s lip-smacking kitchen creations, the film is attractive but insubstantial. He was, after all, the late Sarah’s ex-lover. ![]() And a chef, Matthew (Rupert Penry-Jones), offers up his services, but his motivation for joining the business might not be all that it seems. Mimi, guilt stricken about refusing to help her daughter in the past, comes in as a partner. But rather than see the premises taken over by a pop-up wine bar, impulsive Clarissa argues that they should push on with the project. Of the pair, it was Sarah who was the chef who “trained with Ottolenghi”. Sarah’s tragic death seems to scupper the bakery plan before it has even taken root. The women are her daughter, Clarissa (Shannon Tarbet), a dancer her estranged mother Mimi (Celia Imrie), a former circus proprietor and performer and her best friend Isabella (Shelley Conn), her business partner in the West London bakery which they hoped to open. The eponymous Sarah is at the heart of the film, but, since she dies in a pointedly telegraphed cycling accident at the very start of the picture, we only get to know her through the women (and man) who knew and loved her. Perhaps tapping into Great British Bake Off fever, the film has also sold to several European territories and Australia/New Zealand. Following on from its premiere at the Glasgow Film Festival, the film is scheduled for a spring release in the UK. The appeal of gorgeously-photographed cakes is not to be underestimated, but it remains to be seen whether this is enough to draw audiences to this amiable but somewhat bland confection. Like its lip-smacking kitchen creations, the film is attractive but insubstantial Yet the under-developed story leaves us with the sense that this is little more than a foodie instagram feed with a narrative attached. Love Sarah is a well-meaning exploration of female friendship, and of the cultural significance of cuisine. Bereavement unites three generations of women in a commercial baking business which offers newfound understanding, romantic opportunities and a celebration of multiculturalism. ![]()
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. Archives
December 2022
Categories |