This movie follows the life of Jane Fairchild (Odessa Young at first and Glenda Jackson when she’s older). Jane was an orphan who grew up to go into service in the Niven House (Colin Firth and Olivia Coleman). While working there, she secretly dates a friend of the Niven family’s son, Paul Sheringham (Josh O’Connor). The story progresses, jumping back and forth in Jane’s timeline, culminating in an understanding that she has finished writing her great work. A memoir of the day that changed her life forever and finished making her a writer.

In the aftermath of World War I, the whole world is grieving. One of the scenes in the film focuses on a newspaper article with the headline “Over Three Million British Casualties: 650,000 Killed” (Husson, 2021. 17 min. 5 sec.). This is brought into greater focus later in the film where Mr. Niven tells Jane, “That’s all five of them, Jane” (Husson, 2021. 1 hr. 17 min. 58 sec.). Referring to the sons of the three families; The Niven’s, The Sheringham’s (Craig Crosbie and Emily Woof), and the Hobday’s (Simon Shepherd and Caroline Harker). Milly (Patsy Ferran), another servant in the Niven’s home, even talks about how she lost her lad in the war. Loss plays a great part in this movie. I am uncertain if the writers (Graham Swift, who wrote the original novel, and Alice Birch, who wrote the screenplay,) believe that without great tragedy a writer cannot possibly write something recognized as literary genius or if it is merely the tool they chose to mold Jane into who she became.

Jane leaves the Niven house and goes to work in a bookshop. It is there that her boss, Mr. Paxton (Albert Welling), gives Jane a typewriter where the “P” key slightly sticks and encourages her to use it. It is also there that she eventually meets Donald (Sope Dìrísù). It is clear from Donald’s appearances throughout Jane’s life that he can be referred to as the second great love of her life. Donald is a philosopher and a writer, and he encourages Jane in her own writing. During one of their first dates, he asks her,

“And when did you become a writer, Miss Jane Fairchild?”

“I don’t know.”

“Yes, you do.”

“All right. Three times over. Okay. The day I was born. The day Mr. Paxton gave me my typewriter.”

“Of course. And the third?”

That’s a secret.” (Husson, 2021. 1 hr. 9 min. 26 sec.).

It is this secret that we spend the rest of the movie unveiling. Once you see it, you can see it woven into every moment of the film. The birth of a writer.

This film is very artistic and raw. It doesn’t spare the viewer the heartache, confusion, or despair that seems to haunt Jane’s life. Equally it embraces every joy she experiences, every thrill for life, and every dream she dreams. There are cinematic moments where it seems like Jane is focusing on a very unusual item or moment. But it is through these things that we can actually see the writer in her developing. In a word she hears, in the feel of a book, in the way the light feels against her skin and shines on the buttons of her coat. She is capturing the memory. So that she can later share it with us in her own words.

I found this film enthralling. I found myself stumbling to piece together what I felt was a mystery. The cuts between Young Jane, Old Jane, Past Jane, and Future Jane were sometimes jarring and hard to follow. I did enjoy the film. It is one of those films that leaves you thinking. Thinking about Jane’s life, your own life, and what you want to accomplish with the time you have left.