Brideshead Revisted (2008) ***

Brideshead Revisited is a powerful and touching love story involving a brother and sister and the man that both fall in love with. While the film starts out strong, the last third starts to lose direction and devolves into a staunchly anti-religion, specifically Catholicism, message film which feels out of tone with the the strong and evocative first two-thirds. Charles Ryder (Matthew Goode) enrolls in the University of Oxford with expectations of becoming an artist. He comes from a working class family and quickly become friends with Sebastian Flyte (Ben Whishaw) after their introduction which consisted of Sebastian vomiting in Charles's room through a window facing the courtyard. The two rapidly grow close over the course of the term with one of the highlights being a visit to Sebastian's home of Brideshead, an expansive and beautiful estate that leaves Charles positively smitten. It's not long however before Charles becomes equally enamored with Sebastian's sister, Julia (Hayley Atwell) and a love triangle is forged that can end is nothing less than tragedy.

The love story in this film is given a unique twist in that the two people vying for the affections of our protagonist are brother and sister. The possible homosexual relationship between Sebastian and Charles is subtly and tastefully explored. The two share a bond that only grows throughout the course of the film and aside from a single kiss there is no definitive proof that the two shared an intimate relationship. Certainly Sebastian has stronger feelings for Charles other than those of friendship as he is positively devastated when he sees Charles kissing his sister during a trip to Venice. It's also strongly hinted at that Charles as least partially reciprocates Sebastian's feelings as the two share a physical intimacy in addition to the love and care they have for each other. Charles takes no comfort in the fact that he broke Sebastian's heart when he decided to pursue Julia and probably one of his biggest regrets is that he was never able to mend that rift completely. Sebastian's loss only served to fuel his raging alcoholism which eventually led to his death far from home and family. Whishaw was superb in the role of the tragic and lifelong depressed Sebastian who only wanted someone to love him for him, something not even his mother was even able to give him before she died.

The most gripping and fascinating relationship in the film however is the one between Sebastian and his mother, Lady Marchmain (Emma Thompson) who constantly uses her strict religious moral code to ostracize her son from his own family and fan the fires that drive him to drink. She is a cold, calculating matriarch, who it is said had to exert constant control over the actions of her children from the time they were toddlers. Her use of religion as a means of causing emotional distress over her children was what drove her husband away and that need for control only grows now that her children are on the cusp of adulthood. She even manipulated Charles into doing her bidding in order to keep Sebastian in check. It's no wonder why Sebastian never wanted Charles to meet his family, especially his mother as she succeeds in poisoning their relationship enough that the bond the two shared is effectively broken only a short time after they first meet. Charles catches a fleeting glimpse of Sebastian and his mother talking that leaves the son in tears and provides an understanding for how childish he acts, going so far as to still keep his teddy bear lying around and speaking to it. It's thoroughly depressing how emotional turbulent Sebastian is that he cannot find an ounce of happiness and he has to turn to alcohol for any kind of comfort. The mother-son dynamic has never seemed so distraught and bitter than it does in this film.

Despite the powerful performances and the delicate emotional drama that has been explored throughout the film, it begins to lose focus when it catches up to the second flashback where Charles and Julia reunite on the cruise ship. For one, the relationship between Julia and Charles is never really developed. Aside from that one kiss in Venice, the two haven't seen each other until they are reunited at the party announcing her engagement. Separated again, they reunite on the ship where they are finally able to consummate their passion for one another. They're ready to run off together, even committing a grave sin by having Julia abandon her husband to be with Charles. No time is given to show that these two characters have fallen in love so much so that they're ready to forsake everything to be with one another. It does give credence to how quickly it falls apart once they can be together. This is the one relationship which drives the end of the film and it pales in comparison to everything else we have seen up to this point. Charles and Julia barely share any screen time together for their love to bloom which makes the audience less emotionally invested in this part of the film.

The other issue with the end is that the subtle anti-religious theme which is present throughout is shoved into the spotlight as Charles and Julia's relationship quickly becomes his atheism vs. her faith. Charles is overly adamant that her father would not want a priest right before he is about to die, while Julia quickly re-embraces her Catholic beliefs following the fatal illness of her father. She can't be with Charles because it would be a sin in the eyes of the Church. Catholicism has essentially doomed the relationship between the two people we should want to see together. As quickly as they fall into love, the falling out is even quicker and it rings hollow that someone who has tended to shun her religious beliefs would so rapidly use them as justification to not be with the man she supposedly loves. Maybe as a Catholic, even a lapsed one, I took a little offense that my faith was portrayed in such a bad light, that it ruins the love between family members and used as a tool for emotional terrorism. I just found the increasingly obvious anti-Catholic stance the film was taking to be disjointed from the rest of the superbly done film.

Favorite moment: The trip to Venice gives a taste of one of the most beautiful cities in the world and it is here that the inevitable love blooms between Julia and Charles. We're also introduced to the father, Lord Marchmain (Michael Gambon), whose kind and affable demeanor is a stark contrast to the mother's cold and aggressive behavior. This contrast allows the audience to understand just how poor a parent she is, without ever requiring the character to commit flagrant acts just to show she is "evil". It is also a chance for someone to vocalize for Charles the impending troubles which are just around the corner and he is offered a word a caution because it will only end badly for one, if not all, in the triangle that has developed between Charles, Sebastian and Julia. The calm before the storm highlights the joy and fun that these three have together, such as the playful fighting on the beach, before it all comes crashing down with that kiss.