Hedda

I’ll admit to not being especially familiar with Ibsen or this play in particular (despite having apparently seen and enjoyed the Bergman-Redgrave version 10 years ago!), so it was unclear what the point of this sordid and sleazy tale was, and what effect the modernisations had on the underlying text. Probably requires a little more homework on my part to approach and appreciate this again, but at face value, this is a static and lethargically paced drama that cops a brilliant boost of energy once Hoss enters the picture, doing an achingly sad and moving version of the middle ager gone to seed that a James Mason would have hit out of the park in previous generations. The film is almost worthy of a recommendation for Hoss alone, especially as she navigates some of the strange, melodramatic turns her character takes in the later stages.