Plot Details: This opinion reveals major details about the movie's plot.

Continuing on my journey of reviewing obscure historical films, I present for your pleasure The Governess, a rather unusual art house feature set in the mid 1850's in London and Scotland.

This is a grand little film, with plenty of historical detail and presenting the film from a very different viewpoint than most. There's romance, brains and some interesting questions raised. Minnie Driver as Rosina da Silva/Mary Blackchurch is excellent as the eponymous heroine of the title.

In London, in the Jewish Ghetto, a family is celebrating the holiday of Purim in the local synagogue. As the film opens we see the men of the congregation bowing and swaying in prayer, a rippling sussuration of light and color, and that seems to set the entire theme of the film right here. It's about light and how we see it, and how it interacts with us.

We meet the heroine, Rosina, and her family. She is a dutiful, loving daughter of a well-to-do Jewish family, still outcasts in Victorian society, but managing to make a loving, prosperous home. It's the holiday of Purim, a grand celebration of liberation and festivity, and we see Rosina and a possible suitor dancing together, and the very tight bond between her and her father. Then tragedy strikes, her father murdered on a London street, and for the da Silvas, the world crumbles.

Faced with the prospect of marriage with men she intensely dislikes, Rosina takes a radical alternative to provide a future for herself and her family. Despite her mother's horror, she will take a job as a governess. But there isn't a respectable family that will take her on, not a Jewish girl to teach Christian children in a good middle or upper class home. So Rosina becomes Mary Blackchurch, a quiet, respectable young woman and she journeys to Scotland to take up employment in a house that's in the middle of nowhere.

It's culture shock for Rosina/Mary, living among Gentiles, dealing with the snobbish lady of the house, a bratty young miss for her student and the son of the house who keeps ogling her. Not to mention the servants who think her rather peculiar in her ways. But eventually there's a bond between Mary and her student, and she manages to practice her faith quietly, in the darkness of night in her room.

Not to mention the master of the house, a mysterious man who keeps a solitary hobby in a far corner of the property, about whom is whispered some interesting tales. And then Mary discovers for herself what the secret is.

Photography.

Images and light, struggling to find a solution to keep his pictures from fading, the owner, Charles Cavendish (Tom Wilkerson), enlists Mary's help in his research. And so the seeds of both of their destruction is sown, for in Mary, he finds a woman who is just as passionate as he is, and together they explore just how far their art and attraction will take them.

Of course it's not going to be smooth sailing, this is of course, a romance, with all of the plot details this entails. Suffice it to say that the film is worth sitting through, for the visuals alone.

Beautifully photographed, sensual and drenched with details and color, this movie is a treat, and the characters are treated humanely and sensibly, and you can't help but feel compassion for all of them as secrets are revealed, and emotions and faith are shattered and reformed.

The acting isn't bad as well, with Driver giving the film the main thrust and energy. I found her to be refreshing to watch, beyond most of the offerings in this genre. This film also lacks the grand guingol nature of a similar sort found in The Piano, and much more likeable characters.

Lastly, the music is good as well, with the late Ofra Haza providing the vocals which add a perfect touch of the exotic to this one.

Rated R for nudity, sex, some violence, and some pretty harsh looks at prejudice and bigotry. Great sets, costumes and the details make the film worth it.

Recommended: Yes

Viewing Format: DVD
Video Occasion: Better than Watching TV
Suitability For Children: Not suitable for Children of any age