Quick Info
This film tells the story of the famous du Pré sisters—cellist Jacqueline and flutist Hilary—and it’s a fascinating, intimate portrait that avoids going the usual hagiographic route. The movie digs deeper into their lives, especially Jacqueline’s turbulent rise to fame and her complicated relationship with her older sister. It focuses on the cost of genius and the sometimes ugly underbelly of sibling dynamics amid public adulation.
Emily Watson is absolutely magnetic as Jacqueline du Pré; she brings an intensity and fragility that makes the character’s highs and lows feel brutally real. Rachel Griffiths as Hilary matches her, playing the more grounded and quietly suffering counterpart. Their chemistry is, frankly, what holds this movie together and elevates the material.
The film excels in showing the joy and devastation that comes from artistic obsession. The classical music scenes are thrilling, and there’s a tactile, lived-in sense to the family’s world—the English countryside never looks too picture-perfect or romanticized. You can tell the director wanted intimacy instead of grandiosity, and that works in its favor, even if the timelines get a tad confusing at points.
One thing that doesn’t always land for me is how heavy-handed the melodrama can feel, especially as Jacqueline’s illness progresses. There are a few flashback structural devices that muddle more than clarify, and sometimes the editing makes the story feel choppy. But those missteps don’t take away from the film’s emotional punch, especially in its quieter moments.
You would enjoy this if you like musician biographies that aren’t afraid to get messy, or if you want something about sibling relationships that feels more conflicted and honest than most movie portrayals. It’s perfect if you appreciate strong acting and aren’t looking for a sanitized story.
