Quartile rating: 8/10 · 1 rating
Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis falls in love with a fishmonger while working for him as a live-in housekeeper.
Maudie is carried almost entirely by Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke's deeply committed performances — Hawkins in particular delivers one of the most quietly extraordinary portrayals of resilience and artistic spirit in recent memory, earning a genuine 4 in Acting. The plot is a modest, unhurried character study that never quite transcends its conventional biopic structure, landing solidly average. Cinematography captures the austere Nova Scotia landscape effectively but without special distinction. The film's novelty lies in its intimate scale and focus on an overlooked folk artist, though the slow-burn romance-biopic formula keeps it from feeling truly singular. The ending, while emotionally resonant given what came before, is bittersweet rather than surprising or formally bold.