'Persuasion' of the Desperate Media Corporate?

The publication of the movie trailer had ensued many expectations, and as much in the form of doubts. Alongside a very modern increase in artistic choices, noticed its tread away from the usual narrative.

Nevertheless, I was excited to watch it as I had very coincidentally completed the novel of the same name,

"Persuasion" Minutes of its official release on Netflix, I clicked, eager to analyze its every step--from character portrayals and relations to the music, the plot, and the previously mentioned--artistic choices. Not even midway through, I was astounded by the sheer amount of change placed on the protagonist, Anne Elliot.

In the book, Elliot, in her late-zos, still held great despair and regret over what she believed to be the loss of

a chance with her soulmate, but as expected with age, she appeared as a wise, introverted, generous, and humble soul. It is reasonable and natural for companies to base their decisions in film on the interests of the contemporary viewer. However, the movie's modernization was regretfully, callously done.

The protagonist, portrayed by Dakota Johnson, at times with a faulty English accent, appeared quirky, gregarious, daring, and sprightly. She is often breaking the fourth wall and smirks here and there. She seems more so a modern woman transported into the past--her mannerisms completely out of place in a still conservative, etiquette-focused 19th-Century England. If those involved in the movie had wanted it to appeal to the modern crowd, they had better placed the story in a 21st-Century setting--by then, the changes to the plot and interactions would have made more sense (think of Clueless or She's the Man.)

It was also distasteful of the movie to portray Anne with her hair down, in beach curls, and in visible makeup (ie: bright orange eyeshadow) when those were clearly not the fashion of the time. Her hair should have been put up, perhaps in tighter curls, and her face more natural and bare. Here's the next issue: Captain Wentworth and Anne Elliot, in the book, often encountered one another, but rare were their interactions, whether it be in groups or more or less alone. They, rather, spoke through the awkward air that resurrected between them as with their occasional glances- a perfectly conducted slow burn that made the ending/their reunion all the more satisfying and rational.

In the movie, the former lovers conversed early on through a wider selection of words and expressed, delightfully and verbally, a keen interest in maintaining a friendship. Such actions feel more forced and unnatural considering the basis of the plot and the pain that the two would have felt from how they had left things in their youth. I would argue that the portrayal of the two in constant avoidance of one another in the midst of their mutual longing would still have pleased the modern gaze.

Despite the evident dissension I carry for the movie, I must end with a few positive remarks. The choice of casting multiracial characters in place of the usual Caucasian ones is a welcome move. It evokes a sense of hope, giving actors who had previously been scarce in the name of historical accuracy (which I usually apply great emphasis to) the opportunity to live their period drama dreams. Thus, this would perhaps have proven a greater, more suitable accomplishment if the entirety of the movie had been set in a more unattainable fictional landscape.

Lastly, the quality of the filming equipment, the locations of the scenes, and the color grading of the film all prove crisp and aesthetically pleasing enough to give off a sense of vivid realism.

Overall, the movie is no modern rom-com. Its setting and artistic choices expect a more serious, sober telling rather than the cheery forward composure of the characters that it offers. If the modernity and the latter have been the creators' preferences, they had better adapted another book than the one they had evidently opted for, perhaps another Emma or Pride & Prejudice, or better yet, watch the 2007 version of Persuasion with Sally Hawkins & Rupert Penry-Jones.

And with that, to my dismay, the rating I give to it is 4/10.

A bit of dross.