The Movie Project: Affinity

Sarah Waters is one of my favorite contemporary authors. She writes historical fiction and most, but not all, of her stories are set in the Victorian era. One of the reasons I love her so much is that she's not just telling stories about the past - instead she truly inhabits the era. Too many modern authors write about the past in an anachronistic and unsatisfying way - giving their characters thoughts, ideas and dialogue that doesn't fit with the era. Not so with Waters - she evokes the style of Victorian authors almost perfectly. The BIG difference is that Waters writes about topics which were strictly off limits in that era - namely homosexuality....female homosexuality. But skeptical readers shouldn't be turned off by the lesbian lit label. Her stories are so much more than that - they're intricately woven with diverse casts of characters and themes. I'm always surprised by her endings!

Another great thing about Waters novels is that many of them have been made into phenomenal films. The first was her breakout novel - Tipping the Velvet and next my favorite of all her work - Fingersmith. And then I finally made my way to Affinity - fabulous! It tells the story of Margaret Prior, a repressed and depressed young lady reeling from the death of her father along with the demise of an intense love affair - her lover married her brother! In an attempt to distract herself she becomes a 'lady visitor' at Millbank prison. A lady visitor would visit with inmates in an attempt to edify them with her respectable company and conversation. Soon Margaret becomes fixated on one particular prisoner - Selina Dawes. Selina is a spiritualist medium and claims to communicate with the supernatural. It is a completely captivating story from start to finish. It's also one of Waters's bleaker works.

The film is a tolerably good adaptation. I felt like the relationship between the two women felt a bit rushed, but the two actresses were very nicely cast. Selina in particular looks and acts almost exactly as I imagined. She's just stunning! Margaret was a bit more attractive and self possessed than I imagined, but it still worked. The costuming and set design was fantastic! Also some things were added and changed which I didn't feel added to the storyline. But all in all I thought it was enjoyable and I'm glad I watched it! I was still completely absorbed despite knowing the mystery. But, of course I recommend the book first!