An uneven film on every level. But the intensity of the climax, the sheer power of Esther Kahn the character, makes it an interesting film. Still, disappointing by Desplechin standard.

Ambitious but rather poorly written and humorless. Ian Holm is riveting in all his scenes, even while given third-rate dialogue to deliver. Elsewhere the film is more palpably mediocre, and particularly embarassing are the bits of voiceover narration summarizing the plot or informing us how Esther feels (and even looks like, as if we can't see for ourselves). Esther Kahn also boasts the dubious honor of featuring the most frequent usage of "fuck" you'll ever find in a Victorian era period piece.