A Clever Woman

Phoebe and Dot have returned to their family home on the Isle of Wight a year after the death of their composer mother. As they prepare the house for its sale, clearing decades of family clutter, they have started to work on a site-specific performance piece about their complex relationship with their mother and her serial infidelities.

"Dot" (Josie Lawrence) and "Phoebe" (Tanya Myers) return to their late mother's home on the anniversary of her death. For much of the last year, the house has been lived in by "Tom" (James Northcote) and the two sisters have decided that they wish to build on their musical heritage by using the house as a sort of museum, curated by "Tom" in which they - aided by their friend "Monica" (Anna Mottram) - will use their Steinway pianola to serenade visitors with songs. The sisters are still really to face their trauma, especially "Dot" and so a walk along the beach seems a helpful solution. Left behind, the other two get up to a little mischief that, when discovered by "Dot" causes tempers to rise and truths to be told. This is quite effective at dealing with one specific taboo, and both ladies at the top of the bill deliver engaging and emotional performances when they are on screen together. For me, though, the complexities of the relationships weren't gone into especially throughly. The plot has too many holes, as do the characterisations, and though director Jon Sanders does tread a cleverly constructed line between reality and imagination, it struggled to remain plausible - or even particularly interesting - as it progressed. There are a few songs that give us an opportunity to enjoy the singing talents of Lawrence and Myers but essentially this is a stage play on a big screen that is enjoyable enough, but somehow lacking.