Movie Review: "My Cousin Rachel"

"My Cousin Rachel": B+.  In the course of the hundred-plus minutes of the mystery, My Cousin Rachel, we viewers are almost certain we've got it all figured out at least four or five times.  But as new facts and clues emerge, we lose confidence in our predictions.  Black veils; strange-tasting Italian tea; overdrawn bank accounts; cryptic letters, signed but unsent, tucked in the pages of an old book; a sleazy lawyer from a foreign country; solo horseback rides to unknown destinations.  There are strange goings on in the English country estate left to twenty-four year old Philip Ashley (Sam Claflin) following the unexpected death of his cousin Ambrose, who had adopted the orphaned Philip years ago.

The estate is located along the far southwestern English coast of Cornwall, but shortly before the story opens, Ambrose has left for Florence, Italy hoping the warmer climate would aid his fragile health.  Letters written by Ambrose to Philip at first seem normal.  Things in Italy are going more than fine.  In fact, he has married a cousin, Rachel (Rachel Weisz), whom he met there.  A few months go by and Ambrose's letters take on a darker tone.  He suspects there is a link between his deteriorating health and his new wife.  He writes that Rachel is extravagant and has a curious relationship with a Florence lawyer named Rainaldi (Pierfrancesco Favino).  He begs Philip to rescue him from Florence.

Philip arrives in Florence too late.  Ambrose has died and the whereabouts of his widow, Rachel, are unknown.  Philip returns to the Cornwall estate and consults his uncle-godfather, Nick Kendall (Iain Glen), who, in the absence of Ambrose, is guardian of the estate.  Kendall has learned that Ambrose has left his fortune, including the country estate, to Philip, who will legally be entitled to take control when he turns twenty-five.  Soon thereafter Philip receives word that Rachel is on her way to Cornwall.

A good portion of the first third of the movie is spent speculating what Rachel will be like.  All Philip knows about her is what he's ascertained from his deceased cousin's abstruse letters.  Accordingly, he is suspicious and skeptical about her intentions.   Before she arrives Philip even humorously disparages Rachel in conversations with the manor's aged servant, Seecombe (underrated Tim Barlow, who masters the art of low key, stoic comedy.) Yet, Philip invites her to stay at his estate; she is, after all, his cousin too.

During the middle third of the film his relationship with Rachel takes the same trajectory as Ambrose's.  Even when things appear to be going well, there is something about the mannerisms and persona of the Italian lady that we sense as being off kilter.  There is no question Rachel is enigmatic, but is she evil?

Director Roger Michell cleverly sets up scenes where we wonder if Philip is in over his head.  He does and fails to do certain things which cause us to ask if the young man is naive, careless, foolish, or all three.  Philip has at his disposal not only the shrewd counsel of his godfather-uncle, Kendall, but also of the family attorney, the cautious and measured Mr. Couch (Simon Russell Beale).  But Philip shrugs off their advice, choosing instead to follow his heart.  More than once he throws documents into a fire thus destroying what we anticipate might have served him well as evidence, should the need arise.  Maybe a major contributing factor to our propensity to question Philip's maturity is that in real life actor Claflin is seventeen years Ms. Weisz' junior.

Cinematographer Mike Eley and editor Kristina Hetherington certainly deserve a tip of the cap.  Interspersed throughout the film, but never to the point of dwelling too long, are many beautifully shot scenes, including arial views, of Cornwall's scenic coast, pastures of bluebells, green rolling meadows and idyllic forests.  Another plus is that, unlike other films set in England, the dialogue is largely coherent to my Midwestern sense of hearing.  That is not to say that, if watching the film at home, I would not opt for subtitles.

Finally, kudos to Rachel Weisz.  Her multi-faceted character is sophisticated, dignified and gentle, while at other times indignant, forceful and wily.  Most importantly, at all times she is mysterious, a necessary ingredient for the success of this movie.