Girl with a Pearl Earring

And thus, Cillian Murphy week that actually took two weeks draws to a close, with Girl with a Pearl Earring. Though I am sure to watch a few more Cillian movies in the near future, so keep an eye out. However, on the subject of Girl with a Pearl Earring (not one of the 'Girl with the Dragon Tattoo' films, as one of my friends pointed out)...a lovely period drama that reminded me a lot of Bright Star, because not much happened, but I still liked it.
This is the story about the events surrounding the creation of the painting "Girl With A Pearl Earring" by 17th century Dutch master Johannes Vermeer (Colin Firth). The girl in the painting, Griet (Scarlett Johansson), is a maid in the house of Vermeer. Vermeer's wealthy patron and sole means of support, Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson), commissions him to paint Griet with the intent that he will have her for himself before it is finished. She must somehow secretly pose for the crucial painting without the knowledge of Vermeer's wife, avoid Van Ruijven's grasp, and protect herself from the cruel gossip of the world of a 17th century servant.

Like most period dramas, this film is slooooooooooow. All the substatial things that happen in this movie are only substantial to the time period, not to the times we are living in now. But you hardly expect for someone to call Griet a bitch on Facebook...right? To fully enjoy this movie, you must put yourself in the mindset to watch a period drama. The film is visually stunning, and from start to finish, you will be marvelling over every scene in this movie. It's set out like a painting. Scarlett Johansson walks around in this film looking like the painting. Every bit of this film is so intricate and well put together, you could definitely acknowledge this as art.

The whole cast performs so brilliantly that you will believe in this 17th century story. Even Scarlett Johansson. And, I have to say, Cillian Murphy looked like Peter Pan in this movie. It manages to be a little romantic using no erotic scenes at all, which adds to the beauty it conveys so well. Like a painting, it builds up in layers, and at the end we get a beautiful portrait. Sounds like some stupid metaphor, but it's true.

A beautiful piece of cinematic art, but unfortunately the story was a little slow for comfortable viewing.

7/10