Housekeeping

Based on a book by Marilynne Robinson, Housekeeping follows 1950s sisters Ruth (Sara Walker) and Lucille (Andrea Burchill) as they’re left in the care of their exceedingly eccentric aunt (Christine Lahti’s Sylvie) after their mother commits suicide. It’s clear immediately that writer/director Bill Forsyth isn’t looking to deliver anything other than a very quiet, very low-key slice-of-life drama, as Housekeeping is mostly concerned with the uneventful and episodic exploits of its admittedly well-drawn characters – which ensures, at least, that the movie boasts an authenticity that’s heightened by the various performers’ subtle yet note-perfect work. There’s little doubt, then, that the picture’s downfall is a result of its often unreasonably (and breathtakingly) deliberate pace, with the arms-length atmosphere perpetuated by a midsection in which virtually nothing of major interest or consequence occurs (ie it’s all just so gentle and meandering, ultimately). And while Forsyth does include a handful of compelling stretches and subplots (eg the growing rift between Ruth and Lucille is heartbreaking, to be sure), Housekeeping builds towards a fairly interminable third act that ultimately secures its place as a well-intentioned yet predominantly tedious coming-of-age story.

*1/2 out of ****