Criticizing Hollywood movies as clichéd, formulaic and insultingly stupid has become a cliché. The frustrating fact is, however, that it's true! Even the recent, supposedly great Hollywood movies such as Mystic River and 21 Grams fall in the Hollywood trap of overacting, emotional manipulation and overly simplistic plots and one-dimensional characters resulting in emotional ranges of happy-mad-sad, to name a few problems. This is why I was excited to see Girl with a Pearl Earring which I suspected would be satisfyingly different than the majority of Hollywood movies. Of course it's not perfect, few movies are, but comparatively, it is nuanced more than heavy-handed, it is appropriately ambiguous rather than pedantic and for the finishing touch, it is laconic as opposed to cacophonous with Hollywood dialogue.
Girl with a Pearl Earring, adapted from Tracy Chevalier's bestseller of the same name is directed by Peter Webber who does an excellent job with this poised and restrained first feature film as does the cinematographer Eduardo Serra whose use of color and light successfully foregrounds Vermeer's raison d'etre. While the entire cast acts solidly, it is Scarlett Johansson, of recent Lost In Translation fame, that leaves the deepest impression. You can't help but feel privileged to watch on as a young and extremely talented actress begins her foray into what will surely be a long and fruitful career.
