Woman in Gold (Helen Mirren, Ryan Reynolds, Daniel Bruhl) – More than just another Holocaust movie, Woman in Gold tells the well-known story of an Austrian-American who takes on her native country to recover priceless art stolen from her home by the Nazis.
Helen Mirren is her always-brilliant self in her portrayal of Maria Altmann, a little old lady from near Pasadena, who enlists the lawyer son of a friend following her sister’s funeral in what appears to be a hopeless fight for what is rightfully hers. Maria grew up in Vienna, one of two daughters of a self-made Jewish man who collected art, played his cello, and took care of his extended family. Relatively naïve about his government’s appeasement or conspiring with the Nazis, he didn’t follow his brother out of Austria before the Nazis took over. Hitler’s army stole his paintings, most of which were moved to a museum.
Maria and her husband, an opera singer, barely escaped and relocated in Southern California. She never heard from her parents, her beloved aunt or her uncle again. It was her beautiful aunt, Adele Bloch Bauer, who had served as model for Gustav Klimt, who used gold leaf in his most famous painting, “Woman in Gold.”
Ryan Reynolds plays the young lawyer, Randy Schoenberg, who first reluctantly, then doggedly pursues justice for Maria. Schoenberg’s family is Austrian as well, including his famous composer-grandfather, who was killed by the Nazis.
With a story that is compelling if relatively well known, Woman in Gold is an emotional journey for Schoenberg, Altmann and the audience. The flashback scenes make the movie more than just another true tale of a victim of the Holocaust. Woman in Gold feels like an important film, punctuated by the outstanding performances of Mirren, Reynolds, and Daniel Bruhl as the investigative reporter who helps the duo.
Mirren’s character is feisty, terse and caustic. She wants to honor her deceased sister and the rest of her family while holding on to the remnants of her life, which have been extracted from her piece by piece. Mirren is perfect for the role.
I did not want to like Ryan Reynolds, thinking he seemed miscast, just a transparent attempt to add box office appeal to this independent film. But while it took half the movie, he surprised me. Like his character, he evolved from superficial under-performer to committed zealot, pursuing a purposeful mission out of vengeance, redemption, and love.
Woman in Gold is an outstanding film from the director of My Week With Marilyn and one of the great British actresses of our time.