Four strangers. Italy. A chance to get out of drab London life. Those are the elements that compose Enchanted April, a British film from 1992 starring Josie Lawrence and Miranda Richardson (Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire). The film is based on Elizabeth von Arnim’s 1922 novel of the same name. The film was originally created for British television but was later released in the US, where it took 3 Academy Award nominations.

The plot circles around Lottie Wilkins and Rose Arbuthnot, two women with equally boring lives and unloving husbands. When Lottie notices Rose eyeing the same advertisement about a castle in Italy, she tries to coax Rose into renting it with her. This, of course, is extremely improper and bizarre, seeing as the two women have never spoken before. Nonetheless, the women are so unhappy that they end up renting the place, inviting two other strangers to join in order to lower the cost. The other two women are young socialite Caroline Dester (Polly Walker) and older widow Mrs. Fisher (Joan Plowright, who was nominated for a Best Supporting Actress Oscar).

The film is very slow-placed and not a lot actually happens. It’s more a study of the characters, but they’re all rather irritating. There were a few choices made in the film that bothered me. Once the characters get to Italy, the film starts using voice over to express the characters’ thoughts. It seems like a tacky shortcut to something that the actors should be able to portray. Some films can pull off the use of voice over, but in this case it didn’t really contribute much to anything. The film also occasionally zooms in a way that makes it look really dated. Yes, the film is set in the 1920s, but it looks old in a way that isn’t related to that.

It’s good that the film is rather short, since it seems to drag on much longer. The idea of four strangers stuck living together seems reminiscent of a college dorm, but without the excitement. Part of the problem is that the characters aren’t easy to like. I felt a kind of ambivalence toward their fate. The only exception was Rose. Likened to a sad Madonna, she seems the unhappiest but is the one that complains the least. Lottie is the most obnoxious one until a certain point in the movie when she finally mellows out and becomes bearable to watch. Mrs. Fisher is a grumpy old woman who seems set on making everyone else miserable. Caroline is a socialite looking for peace and quiet but she comes off as lazy and self-centered. Though movies of course have no obligation to make the characters appealing, it’s always nice to have at least one to root for.

Enchanted April is truly a bore of a movie, portraying its characters’ ennui too literally (and trust me, I generally like movies where nothing much seems to happen). There are too many quality movies about boredom and unhappy marriages to spend the time to watch this one.

Special Features:

For a film being released as part of Miramax’s “Award-Winning Collection,” the DVD really lacks a lot when it comes to special features. All that is available is a commentary by Director Mike Newell and Producer Ann Scott. The commentary was recorded now rather than when the film was first made. The director mentions that after so much time he may not be able to remember the details, but that seems untrue listening to all of his anecdotes about shooting. The commentary helps call attention to the amount of thought that went into every detail of the film. The commentary is perhaps more interesting than the film itself, but only to those interested in every little effort that goes into the production of a film, especially with this small budget.

Special Features: D

Film: C minus