Sense and Sensibility

Director: Georgia Oakley

This is the latest screen adaptation of Jane Austen’s novel. Mrs Dashwood (Caitríona Balfe) and her three daughters mourn their father, a loss made worse when his will leaves the family home to half-brother John (Tom Brooke) and wife Fanny (Stacy Martin). Relationships are strained, even if Fanny’s brother Edward (George Mackay) proves a pleasant diversion for eldest daughter Elinor (Daisy Edgar-Jones). Things change when cousin Mrs Jennings (Fiona Shaw) offers a “humble” home in Devonshire. Here Elinor hopes to nurture her friendship with Edward, while impulsive Marianne (Esmé Creed-Miles) draws the attention of charming Mr Willoughby (Frank Dillane) and restrained Colonel Brandon (Herbert Nordrum). Love’s path is far from straightforward, with London trips, passion and heartbreak aplenty, as the Dashwood girls search for happiness.

Sense and Sensibility is a story that feels familiar, with Austen’s text having having countless adaptations and as well as the inspiration for many similar stories. This screen version may not be spectacular, but is a very enjoyable, solid piece of storytelling.

Much of what’s good here comes from the central performances. Daisy Edgar-Jones continues to impress, and it’s her relationship with Esmé Creed-Miles that is the heartbeat of the story, both full of charm and depth. George Mackay delivers the restrained charm of a 19th-century English gentleman, stuck between duty and heart. Frank Dillane brings pantomime villainy, but it’s Fiona Shaw who steals the show as the Dashwoods’ life-loving cousin, full of heart and joy. A couple of strangely wooden performances aside, the ensemble cast is rock solid.

The film looks good, as you’d expect from a period piece, capturing its 19th-century setting perfectly. While perhaps not being a story full of surprises to a modern audience, it’s still an enjoyable, compelling watch, delivered by an engaging cast.