Quartile rating: 7/10 · 1 rating
1921 New York. An immigrant woman is tricked into a life of burlesque and vaudeville until a dazzling magician tries to save her and reunite her with her sister who is being held in the confines of Ellis Island.
James Gray's period drama is elevated significantly by Marion Cotillard's extraordinary performance and stunning, painterly cinematography that evokes Edward Hopper and old-world photography. The film's visual language is genuinely exceptional, bathing 1920s New York in amber and shadow. Cotillard brings immense dignity and internalized suffering to Ewa, anchoring every scene, while Joaquin Phoenix delivers a complex, morally ambiguous turn. The plot, while well-executed, follows a somewhat familiar immigrant exploitation arc without major surprises, and the ending, though emotionally resonant, lands on a quietly understated note that feels slightly anticlimactic. Novelty sits in the middle — it's not a radical reinvention of the period drama but Gray's austere, classical approach gives it a distinctive mournful texture.