Is a romantic drama is based on the life and writings of Baroness Karen Blixen ( a Danish woman who wrote under the pseudonym of Isak Dinesen). It focuses on her stint in Africa where she moves to after marriage . It’s a slow, leisurely, almost poetic portrayal of complex human emotions and their dynamics.
Cast – Meryl Streep , Robert Redford, Klaus Maria Brandauer
Director – Sydney Pollack
Plot
Karen gets spurned by her lover, opts for a marriage of convenience with her lover’s brother to avoid a life of loneliness and moves to Africa with him. While she adopts the new life , the new people and her coffee plantations with all her heart, she finds it difficult to cope with her husband’s indifference and infidelity. She finds love in Denys , a hunter by profession, who shares the same zest for life as her but not the same understanding about freedom and relationships.
The story has a very poetic start, the narrator and protagonist , being a writer. It follows its own leisurely pace, basking in the beauty of picturesque Ngong Hills of Africa, portrays its native life , people and the life of the white settlers there. It might seem painfully slow at places but the different world it showcases keeps you engaged.
The human emotions , the simple desires, aspirations and expectations of the different individuals forms a complex dynamics. Each one seems right but Karen’s loneliness and longing for belonging moves you.
The film is an extremely acclaimed one that won a whopping number of 7 Oscars and nominations in 4 other categories.
Needless to mention , Meryl Streep and Robert Redford are a big charm in this one.
BHAVNA TALKIES 