Dir: Tina Gharavi, US/UK/ Germany 2026, 95 mins.
Cast: Haley Bennett, Timothy Spall, Elias M’Barek, Lily Allen, Jack Whitehall, Jennifer Saunders, Sally Phillips
Review by Carlie Newman
She argues with her domineering father (Timothy Spall) who insists that education is not for girls. Deciding that marriage will give her have more freedom to undertake her astronomy work, Katherine agrees to marry her childhood friend, William(Jack Whitehall) and they get engaged. She becomes very friendly with Mary Datchet (Lilly Allen), a leading Suffragette campaigner.
When she falls for the lower class literary editor, Ralph (Elias M’Barek) who is helping Katherine’s mother (Jennifer Saunders) who is writing a biography. Katherine now has to decide how she will continue to devote herself to her passion and at the same time have a meaningful relationship with a man.
Based loosely on Virginia Woolf’s novel, Night and Day, the film uses a great cast of excellent actors to portray this feminist view of academia and the sexist views of wealthy men. Hayley Bennett brings out the different qualities of Katherine’s personality and her parents, Jennifer Saunders, and Timothy Spall provide the comedy.
Much has changed in the way we consider education and work for boys and girls, but there is still much more to be achieved in bringing about true equality. This film faces up to what it was like in Woolf’s era
About the Author
