Miss Julie is not a movie to get excited about because of the slow pacing, which turned me off. At times, the stellar acting kept me interested. If you are not familiar with the play’s setting, you will most likely have a hard time liking or even understanding the movie.

Both Jessica Chastain (from my hometown) and Colin Farrell kept me watching the movie despite the stark production. The undertones between the characters came off very strongly. I was curious about each character’s next move or motive. The cinematography created a visual masterpiece with darkness in light.

Directed by the legendary actress Liv Ullmann, the story takes place in Northern Ireland in 1890. Miss Julie, a daughter of a Baron, lives a very privileged life. She was raised to be independent, like a man of this era. The movie doesn’t make it clear why she behaves this way, but I hear the stage play makes it clear what drives her to be so independent. In the movie, she is still a strong woman who feels she can flirt with men the way men would usually flirt with her.

The movie begins with a flashback scene of her as a child, which I totally enjoyed. Here we see her reading one of her books as the story implies loneliness and neglect in an empty house. The story flashes forward to mid-summer’s night in 1890.

There are only three characters in the movie. Miss Julie (Chastain) is an adult. John (Farrell) is the Baron’s Valet, and Kathleen (Samantha Morton) is John’s fiancée and the cook.

Like the stage play, the dialogue moves the story. John and Kathleen are having a conversation in the kitchen. John grumbles about his duties and Miss Julie’s behavior. He explains to Kathleen how she stooped below her station, dancing with the gamekeeper and even ordering him to dance. John takes on the air of Miss Julie and orders Kathleen to clean and fetch. As he talks to Kathleen, he longs for faraway places like Paris. He is well-traveled for a servant and has taken care to get educated. Miss Julie enters the kitchen, and the dialogue shifts to include her presence as the mistress of the house and a potential romantic or sexual interest. She becomes more assertive and takes charge of what happens between her and John.

Now the story is arranged for what the battle is really about.  Who will maintain the upper hand as it sways back and forth? The power change in the story is a bit confusing if the viewer overlooks the nuances and fundamental symbolism the stage play offers.

All in all, Miss Julie is an intellectual story that needs a bit of spice in its pacing to keep me interested.