Another queer period drama? It’s a yes from us
BY SOPHIE GRIFFITHS
I don’t know about you, but I’ve been anticipating Ammonite ever since I first heard that Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan would be starring alongside each other in a film. Of course, that anticipation multiplied by a thousand when I found out it was indeed a queer love story.
Finally, we have been blessed with a glimpse into the long-awaited period drama Ammonite, directed by Francis Lee.
Ammonite combines a similar narrative to Portrait Of A Lady On Fire with the fierce passion that made Francis Lee’s breakthrough film, God’s Own Country, a huge hit with queer cinema lovers back in 2017.
Oscar winner Kate Winslet leads Ammonite as famed British paleontologist Mary Anning. The script is set during the 1840s in a coastal town in the United Kingdom where Mary befriends a London woman (Saoirse Ronan) to whom she must unexpectedly play nursemaid. The supporting cast includes Fiona Shaw, James McArdle, Gemma Jones, and God’s Own Country actor Alec Secăreanu.
According to Francis Lee, Ammonite is about “the power of love; the power of a deep, intimate, human relationship; the power of touch; and hope.”
The film is set to screen at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) in September, which is hosting virtual screenings for press. TIFF co-head Cameron Bailey told IndieWire in July that Kate Winslet’s performance in Ammonite is the best work he’s ever seen from the actress.
Catch the first official trailer for Ammonite below which is set for release in November 2020.
