Edie is a clumsy dramedy that doesn’t discern the emotional gravity behind Edie’s boiling impulse to take back her own life, let alone the precarious escapade she decides to embark on. Edie’s hankering to climb Mount Suilven is steered by her marriage with a domineering man. This man is gone now, so it’s finally time for Edie to carry out an accomplishment that’ll be hers and only hers. The thematic ground that lies beneath Edie’s feet during her pivotal trek is constantly impeded by slapstick hilarity and inchoate dramatic strands. Elizabeth O’Halloran’s script is frustratingly routine, laying out the fabric of a mother-daughter relationship that imploded early on, yet for some reason is left unsettled. There’s also an interesting contrast in the majestic landscapes that surround Edie and Jonny: Edie relishes the sweeping beauty, whereas Jonny is growing increasingly wary of the surrounding wilderness. In hindsight, it isn’t made clear if Jonny deeply registers Edie’s sage advice, and vice versa. Their partnership is characterized by treacly discussions and trivial bickering, undermining both characters in the process.
“The thematic ground that lies beneath Edie’s feet during her pivotal trek is constantly impeded by slapstick hilarity and inchoate dramatic strands.”
August Jakobsson’s cinematography delightfully captures the grand Scottish landscapes through immersive long shots. The secluded and comprehensive badlands deftly convey the strain of the adventure, as well as vividly symbolizing Edie’s own isolation. Edie is visually enticing but emotionally labored, going through the motions and doing the bare minimum. That said, Edie does inherit good intentions, trying to evoke the message that even as you get older, there is still time to reinstall purpose in life and take back your voice. But Debbie Wiseman’s monotonous, unvarying score, and Hunter’s unconvincing plot conveniences (isn’t Edie lucky that she found Jonny, and isn’t it bad luck that Edie’s daughter found her mother’s diary?) don’t genuinely enhance the picture’s depth.
At the end of the 95-minute journey, there isn’t a palpable sense of triumph regarding the message of not allowing limitations of age stop you from seeking new adventures. Sheila Hancock’s quiet demeanor and unwavering confidence are still mightily contagious attributes to behold; be that as it may, Hancock’s not correctly utilized in Simon Hunter’s tale of self-discovery, and that makes this cinematic expedition all the more unfulfilling.
"…Sheila Hancock's quiet demeanor and unwavering confidence are still mightily contagious..."
