Sundance 2021: The World to Come
sundance 2021Mona Fastvold's sophomore feature, The World to Come, continues to build the modern lesbian period piece genre also found in films like Portrait of a Lady on Fire and Ammonite but with enough of a unique identity to stand out among the rest. Set on the mid-19th-century American frontier, Abigail (Katherine Waterston) and Tallie (Vanessa Kirby) find comfort in each other as their love serves as an escape from their dysfunctional relationships and the oppression they face as women during this time.
Raw and atmospheric, The World to Come strikes as a brutally honest and compelling period piece that doesn't attempt to sugarcoat the experience of the era on which the film finds its focus. Countless period pieces covering the same era in human life will find a glamorous love for the unique costumes and stunning nature of the time, The World to Come balances this with the social struggles which also defined this time in American life. For every lavish piece of production, of which there are plenty, the film is sure to show just how deep the oppression toward women was at the time and just how cruel the relationships between them and men could be. Women were seen as property and any expression of their voices or emotions came at the consent of the men with which they shared their lives with. It is anger-inducing, but also is important to highlight and adds a fresh level of depth to the relationship between Abigail and Tallie and the freedom they find in their love.
This more serious take on the relationships between characters within the film is highlighted by the dry and more naturalistic filmmaking featured throughout the film. Whilst elements such as the score from Daniel Blumberg are stunning, these forms of transforming this world into a more crafted cinematic environment are used sparingly. The World to Come is much more focused on displaying the world for what it was with sounds of nature and quietness used frequently. Where some might find themselves bored with these choices, it creates a unique atmosphere for the film to live in and overall feels like the right call for how raw the story truly feels.
As mentioned, there are unique sides to the story that separates the film from other entries into the LGBTQ+ romance period piece genre. Whilst the highlighting of the relationship between men and women is one, another would be the story itself. These films tend to lead towards pain and though The World to Come doesn't break this tradition, it does change the fundamental emotions towards this. Rather than these characters being victims to time, such as in Portrait of a Lady on Fire where its lead characters only had a week together to build their relationship, The World to Come gives its characters months to meet and slowly grow together. Both Katherine Waterston and Vanessa Kirby are quite fantastic in their roles, as both feel naturally drawn together and, once they do express their emotions to each other, the happiness they feel when alone together radiates from them. Specifically in juxtaposition to the relationships they share with their husbands – Finney (Christopher Abbott) and Dyer (Casey Affleck) – which are often cold and lacking any passion. Their chemistry is undeniable and provides the perfect light within a film that is perfectly bleak.
Whilst the film can be quite slow and ultimately might not have the same gut-punch of other LGBTQ+ romances of recent, The World to Come does overall feel like quite a success. This is a period piece that is often dry by choice and uses that to highlight its deeper emotions all the more effectively. The film is clearly well crafted, with Mona Fastvold having strong control over what she hopes to accomplish and how she intends to meet those goals, and for the most part, she clearly does.
