The Lady in the Van – Film Review V2.0 by Frances Winston

Directed by: Nicholas Hynter

Starring: Maggie Smith, Alex Jennings, Jim Broadbent, Frances De La Tour

In cinemas November 13th

From screenplay by Alan Bennet based on his hit play comes the extraordinary true story of Mary Shepherd, a homeless woman who lived in his driveway for 15 years!

In a real case of “you couldn’t make this up” Bennet took pity on the eccentric old lady when his neighbours in salubrious Camden objected to her parking her home on their street. Agreeing to allow her use his driveway as a base until she got herself sorted with an alternative, she ended up staying a decade and a half!

Adopting a touch of surrealism Bennet employs two versions of himself, both played by Jennings, to tell the tale. One is the Bennet everyone sees and one is the Bennet he hears in his head. The whole thing is very meta with addresses to the camera and a sense that the audience is being let in on something. At the time Shepherd was availing of Bennet’s generosity his own mother was failing and there are many comparisons made between the two old dears as Bennet tries to assure himself that he is not merely helping Mary over guilt he feels about his mother.

Of course if this was just the story of a playwrights conflict regarding his charitable gesture it wouldn’t have a huge amount of substance but it turns out that Shepherd herself was an incredibly complex character and the story of her life before the van and how she ended up there is incredibly compelling and really does go to show it could happen to anyone. Previously an accomplished pianist with a stint in a convent; a tragic accident had scarred her indelibly. Of course it takes years before Bennet begins to understand just how complex his guest is.

Smith had played the role of Shepherd twice in the past and she brings a marvelous eccentricity to the role. Think her Downton character Lady Violet but fallen on hard times. She is scathing and brusque but you get the underlying sense that this is a self defense mechanism. Jennings is compelling as Bennet. He is very much put upon by almost everyone he knows and also struggling to come toy terms with his homosexuality. Jennings plays him warts and all which is refreshing and it is good that Bennet didn’t felt the need to sugar coat the character of himself when writing.

There are other well known names in this film but they are little more than cameos. This is Smith and Jennings movie and they bounce off each other beautifully. The residents of Camden don’t come off especially well and many of the people on the periphery of both characters stories seem severely lacking when it comes to empathy.

This is surprisingly warm and funny with some wonderful moments from Smith. The whole film is as marvelously eccentric as Mary Shepherd herself. However it does sometimes get clogged with its own sentiment and veers the wrong side of mushy. Despite this it keeps you interested in the story and manages to settle into a steady pace. Sweet and at times heart-warming there is also an underlying sense of tragedy to this tale that will only hit you after you leave the cinema and start processing it. Proof that a good story can be enough to carry a film this is a refreshing watch.