MOVIE: THE LAST STATION
Based on Jay Parini’s novel, The Last Station focuses on the marriage of Leo Tolstoy (Christopher Plummer) and his wife, Sofya (Helen Mirren) in its final years. These acting greats go at each other full tilt in passionate scenes of affection, frustration and rage, as they love each other and drive each other crazy. James McAvoy, with his big, wet eyes, plays Valentin Bulgakov, a soft-hearted young Tolstoyan who questions his own priggishness and celibacy after spending time with the great writer himself. Paul Giacometti is the almost entirely unlikeable Chertkov, head of a cultish, neo-socialist ‘religion’ that runs communes and renounces sexuality. He pits himself against Sofya in a battle purporting to be for the good of the people, which she believes is somewhat more self-serving. The key message seems to be that self-denying spirituality, however noble, is less powerful as a guide to living than everyday love. Aww. (AF)
