Ralph Fiennes directs and stars in this truth-based, period piece about Charles Dickens. In it, a woman comes into his life and has a profound influence on his creativity and psychological mindset. This is familiar cinematic territory: a man is already married to an unattractive wife, a relationship that fails to stimulate him physically, emotionally and spiritually. Along comes a younger, beautiful woman and the man falls in love.
"The Invisible Woman" takes this trope and offers unique ways of telling it. It is a true story too but a lot of the historical fact is embellished and expanded for cinematic and story-telling purposes. The end result is a slow-moving but, in the end, rewarding movie experience with great performances and fascinating characters.
Charles Dickens is probably one of the most famous and widely-read authors of history. He revolutionized the novel and would influence story-tellers and even filmmakers until the present day and will continue to into the future. Fiennes portrays him as a kind, playful, and complex figure with a great sense of humor and the troubled psyche that characterizes most of the creatively-gifted population. His lover in this film, Nelly (Felicity Jones) is in awe of the author at first. There relationship slowly develops and we get a keen sense of the reasons that such an affair would kindle and continue to ignite for the rest of Dickens' life.
The film takes place in the 1850's, a time when extra-marital affairs and divorce of any kind was much more taboo than it would be a century later. There is a scene when Dickens' wife receives a letter informing her of the impending end of their marriage. It is a heartfelt, tragic scene and we feel the heightened implication that such an event would have on the family's social reputation.
This is definitely not one of the better or memorable films of 2013. Many viewers will be bored but it can also be seen as a fascinating glimpse into the life of a famous 19th century genius and the lives he effected.
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