I had a number of problems with this, which may have emanated from Jessie Burton's bestseller (it was adapted by John Brownlow). Why, in the Rebecca influenced opening, do all the staff (and her new husband's sister Romola Garai) seem to hate her (her being Anya Taylor-Joy)? They all know their master (Alex Hassell) is gay and she will soon find out but that wouldn't be any reason to feel anything but pity for her. This stuff about the elusive woman who makes miniatures (Emily Berrington) is all a load of crap - why would she keep running away like that? If the other woman (Aislin McGucken) is commissioning her to make these miniatures she's also doing the same to her husband Geoffrey Streatfeild - so why doesn't our girl tell him that? Why doesn't she stand up in court and say 'I know how this gay young man (Ziggy Heath) was injured, and when, because I was there, and I have witnesses'? Why is the miniaturist (who appears for five seconds) the only one to have a stupid accent?
After two and a half hours I think the audience will be getting pissed off about things like this, but worse is to come. The husband, who we've come to like despite his vile and sudden outbursts of temper, is put to death when there were ways listed above in which he could have been saved, and the former friend who has caused the death suffers no retribution. There's no explanation at all why the Romola Garai character is so horrible in her disposition, especially as she hasn't really been deprived of her lover all along, so there's zero audience sympathy / empathy there, in fact she just remains one of the most annoying characters on film.
So aside from some nice Old Masterly lighting from Gavin Finney, it's a no from me.
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