[yasr_overall_rating]
A man forms an unexpected bond with a transient woman living in her car that’s parked in his driveway.
Music, and the dignity of the human person are themes of “The Lady in the Van,” which are presented delicately, realistically, and intricately. The music played throughout this film truly scores it – sometimes flighty at the same time the same could be said of the main provocateur of a scene, sometimes it is rushed, others not. At all times it seems consistent with the situations and personality types that overlay the sound.
British accents aside, because what person born in America isn’t tremendously distracted either negatively or positively by the slightest sound of an accent (even a regional American one), it is the music in “The Lady in the Van” that stands out as driving sound in a way that says something special about the process of putting together the film; whether intentional or unintentional.
As mentioned earlier, music serves as a theme as well as a device to set moods and tone. Getting closer to Miss Shepherd, Mary, or even Margaret means getting through the singular woman’s layers and understanding her aversion to and history with music. It means seeing past this mysterious woman in her eyesore of a van who arrives and stays in the narrator’s Camden neighborhood, becoming a part of the lives of the surrounding citizens while living out the last days of her own.
“The Lady in the Van” stars Maggie Smith, who also plays the role of Miss Shepherd in the stage play “Lady in the Van” by Alan Bennet, on which this film is based. Nicholas Hytner collaborated with Bennet, who is also portrayed in the film by Alex Jennings, as director on “The Lady in the Van” – perfectly capturing light, character, and, occasionally, emotion that feels uncomfortable in its unexpectedness.
All of the characters that comprise Bennet’s neighbors do their part to bring the story along as we see their interactions with Miss Shepherd throughout what turns out to be a much longer time than anyone had expected.
The greater story of human dignity is told in a way that relates to the human condition, a method of storytelling that was important to legendary director Wes Craven, who criticized certain films in the “Elm Street” series because of their failure to do so. As an audience member, once you begin to indiscriminately look for this correlation to the human condition in film, it is something that will become important to you. At the least you’ll appreciate when it is done well; making audiences acknowledge and see truths about themselves. More likely than not, those truth will be seen in multiple characters and their interactions with Miss Shepherd.
A special opportunity is to be found in Bennet’s character. Though we see individuals at different points of their lives, and as different people as their experiences change, Bennet’s duality is represented literally – allowing the differences in the singular person to be more neatly packaged, and allowing Bennet himself to become a spectator – seeing truths about himself and his relationship both internal and external.
The transition from stage to screen is a good one, but not so amazing that this doesn’t feel like something that viewers could stand to wait to order and stream to TV. However, seeing “Lady in the Van” could be a way to make the most of a rainy day.
Opening at the Angelika Film Centers in Dallas & Plano February 5th
