AMMONITE

England in the 1840s. Mary Anning (Kate Winslet) searches the cliffs of Lyme Regis for fossils, selling them to keep herself and her mother afloat; scientific recognition for her finds remains reserved for the gentlemen of the London societies. A wealthy geologist travelling through leaves his ailing wife Charlotte Murchison (Saoirse Ronan) in Mary’s care – for payment, to recover in the sea air. The two women are separated by class, age and temperament, yet the days spent side by side in wind and mud grow into a closeness neither of them had planned. Francis Lee tells an invented love story around a real figure from the history of science in “Ammonite” (Great Britain 2020).

Lee works with little dialogue and much weather: the camera stays with the hands, the rock, the labour, and feeling arises from glances and tasks. The film had its world premiere in September 2020 at the Toronto International Film Festival. “Ammonite” was shown at Around the World in 14 Films in Berlin in 2020 as the opening film in the Opening Night section.

Shown at the 2020 edition of Around the World in 14 Films.

All films 2020 · Film Archive