Film

The Painted Veil

Based on a novel by W Somerset Maughan, The Painted Veil tries to capture the fragile, subtle tone of the book whilst depicting the wild landscape and desperation of a community in 1930s rural China ravaged by cholera. That said, it feels less than the some of its parts. Not entirely faithful to the book, the slightly wooden acting leaves me feeling detached and frustrated at the caricaturing of the political situation behind the plot. But it made for an escapist wind-down after a hectic and strenuous weekend, and for that we were grateful.