Ammonite

2020 1h 58m EN

👍

6.9

SOLID

★6.9TMDB · 661

RomanceDrama

Synopsis

Spoiler shield

In 1840s England, palaeontologist Mary Anning and a young woman sent by her husband to convalesce by the sea develop an intense relationship. Despite the chasm between their social spheres and personalities, Mary and Charlotte discover they can each offer what the other has been searching for: the realisation that they are not alone. It is the beginning of a passionate and all-consuming love affair that will defy all social bounds and alter the course of both lives irrevocably.

“Some stories are better left unspoiled.”

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Cast

Kate Winslet
Mary Anning
Saoirse Ronan
Charlotte Murchison
Gemma Jones
Molly Anning
James McArdle
Roderick Murchison
Alec Secăreanu
Dr. Lieberson
Fiona Shaw
Elizabeth Philpot
Sarah White
Museum Cleaning Woman
Liam Thomas
Museum Workman

Credits

Behind the camera

Director: Francis Lee
Writers: Francis Lee, Jesse Jeune
Languages: English
Countries: United Kingdom

Want more? Switch to Cinephile mode in the header for DP, composer, budget, box office, production companies, keywords, and release history.

Did you know?

Fun facts 🍿

1 / 7

ERA

Did you know

Released 6 years ago.

MoodPlayr · trivia#01

2 / 7

CAST

Did you know

200+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.

MoodPlayr · trivia#02

3 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Directed by Francis Lee, shot by Stéphane Fontaine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.

MoodPlayr · trivia#03

4 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Original score by Dustin O'Halloran. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.

MoodPlayr · trivia#04

5 / 7

DIRECTOR

Did you know

Editor Chris Wyatt shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.

MoodPlayr · trivia#05

6 / 7

AWARDS

Did you know

Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan and Gemma Jones carry the top of the cast.

MoodPlayr · trivia#06

7 / 7

WILD

Did you know

IMDB entry: tt7983894 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.

MoodPlayr · trivia#07

Cinephile deep dive

The take

Francis Lee directs. Stéphane Fontaine behind the camera. Dustin O'Halloran scores. Chris Wyatt cuts. Produced in United Kingdom. Dialogue in English.

Trivia

Things worth knowing

1Released 6 years ago.
2200+ people credited in cast and crew — a small city's worth of labour.
3Directed by Francis Lee, shot by Stéphane Fontaine. Note their partnership — DPs and directors often return to each other across a career.
4Original score by Dustin O'Halloran. Worth a dedicated listen after — most great films lose half their impact without the score.
5Editor Chris Wyatt shaped the rhythm. On an edit-heavy film, the editor does more to control your pulse than the director.
6Kate Winslet and Saoirse Ronan and Gemma Jones carry the top of the cast.
7IMDB entry: tt7983894 — still the authoritative cross-reference for credits and trivia.
8Classified under 35 themes, including "beach", "paleontology", "affectation", "melancholy".

The technical file

Cinematography: Stéphane Fontaine
Original score: Dustin O'Halloran
Editing: Chris Wyatt
Production design: Sarah Finlay
Costume design: Michael O'Connor
Makeup / hair: Ivana Primorac
VFX supervisor: Paddy Eason
Sound: Johnnie Burn
Stunt coordinator: Crispin Layfield
Runtime: 118 min · 1h 58m
Aspect ratio (typical): 1.37:1 (Academy)
Status: Released
Box office: $1,396,905
Original language: EN
Certification (US): R
IMDB: Ammonite (2020)

Awards

European Film Award for Best Costume Designer

Individual records documented via Wikidata; the summary above may count more.

Also by

Francis Lee

Stills · wallpapers

Selected frames

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Wallpaper

Trailers & featurettes

Watch the pieces

Community reviews

What people are saying

SWITCH.2020-11-15
★ 8/10
Much like its protagonist, 'Ammonite' is a film that initially keeps you at a distance - but this is a deliberate decision, one that makes the embrace of the final act all the more powerful. This isn't a sweeping story of passionate love, but a journey back <i>to</i> love, and a journey with an unexpected destination. Perhaps what Mary is looking for - the true fossil she is trying to uncover within herself - is not the connection of another person but the connection with herself, a forgotten part of herself long-buried or taken away. Charlotte is the path to that salvation, and in turn, is led out of the darkness herself, returned to a kind of love and passion thought lost, and giddy at the finding of it. 'Ammonite' is such a beautiful, soulful and intelligent film, made with honesty, integrity and an unexpected sense of humour that breaks through the rock encasing it. It confirms that our faith in Francis Lee is well-founded, and offers yet another classic queer drama that pushes against the expectations of the kinds of lives these films can explore. - Daniel Lammin Read Daniel's full article... https://www.maketheswitch.com.au/article/review-ammonite-francis-lee-delivers-another-beautiful-portrait-of-love-and-longing
Peter McGinn2021-05-19
★ 9/10
As entertainment, I enjoyed watching Ammonite. The protagonist, Mary Anning, is an intriguing woman. She is prickly and somewhat anti-social, at least to strangers. Yet she puts up with oppressive behavior by her mother, perhaps to keep the peace or because they are family. She is dedicated to her pursuit of science through paleontology, but also pays the bills by creating what amount to trinkets to sell to tourists. She is interesting, which isn’t a bad thing in a main character. But Mary Anning was a real person, and as such, the filmmakers “elevated” her story by involving her in a lesbian relationship that was not supported by any historical evidence. This is what movies do, and it does add to the plot, though it was small consolation to a descendant of Mary Anning, who questioned whether it was polite to the historical figure to do so. I am reminded of the movie Cinderella Man, directed by the talented Ron Howard, where boxer Max Baer’s son protested because Howard had made Max more vicious than he was. Baer was playful and even boxers he fought liked him outside the ring. But this is what directors do. One possible result of that added subplot is the enigmatic ending. We are left wondering about the ultimate relationship of the two women, and perhaps that is at least partly because history is so vague on Mary Anning’s sexuality in general. But this is not a documentary; it is a biopic, a different animal altogether, as I alluded to it above. If this movie hadn’t’t been made, flawed factual details in all, I would never have heard of Mary Anning at all. So I think her legacy and her place in history is ultimately improved by the film. Sometimes, in fact, a popular biopic leads to increased interest and attention for a historical character. That can’t be a bad thing, can it?
CinemaSerf2022-03-27
★ 6/10
This is a beautifully crafted piece of work from Francis Lee and Stéphane Fontaine that depicts the rather downtrodden existence of 19th century English paleontologist Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) who spends much of her time combing the beach for shells and fossils that she restores and sells in a small shop she shares with her ailing mother (Gemma Jones). The arrival of the enthusiastic Roderick Murchison (James McArdle) and his wife Charlotte (Saoirse Ronan) changes her pretty breadline, dreary, routine as he, initially, pays her to show him how to spot the ammonite but then leaves his poorly wife in her care to recuperate from an as yet undefined malady. The story is essentially about how the two women bond, and about how that bond intensifies and it features two very strong performances from the leads who struggle with their delicately smouldering relationship. Together with Lee, they manage to deliver a sense of their longing in a largely un-passionate - yet not sterile - fashion. The snag is that the film really, really, lacks pace and characterisation. It's not that is needs to be a full-on sex-fest, it's that their dialogue is sparing to the point of frugality. Why do they bond? At times their affinity is hard to fathom; terse even - and there is a maternal affinity that seems to compromise the potency of their chemistry as people who are falling in love. There are a couple touching contributions from Fiona Shaw and Gemma Jones (sort of reprises her role from "God's Own Country" (2017)) and there is an explicit swipe at the male-driven scientific community that did it's best to discourage/ignore the obvious skills possessed by Anning, but as a film for the big screen it just lacks depth - we are left to guess/assume way too much and it left me feeling just a bit empty.