Maudie (2016)

An arthritic Nova Scotia woman works as a housekeeper while she hones her skills as an artist and eventually becomes a beloved figure in the community.

Director:

Aisling Walsh

Writer:

Sherry White

Stars:

Sally Hawkins, Ethan Hawke, Kari Matchett

23 wins & 15 nominations.

Cast

Cast overview, first billed only:
Sally Hawkins	...	Maud Lewis
Ethan Hawke	...	Everett Lewis
Kari Matchett	...	Sandra
Gabrielle Rose	...	Aunt Ida
Zachary Bennett	...	Charles Dowley
Billy MacLellan	...	Frank
Lawrence Barry	...	Mr. Davis (Shopkeeper)
Greg Malone	...	Mr. Hill
Marthe Bernard	...	Kay
David Feehan	...	Paul
Nik Sexton	...	Steven (CBC Reporter)
Judy Hancock	...	Ida's Nurse
Mike Daly	...	Man at Bar
Brian Marler	...	Doctor
Denise Sinnott	...	Hospital Nurse

Storyline

1930's rural Nova Scotia. Maud Dowley, who suffers from rheumatoid arthritis, smokes heavily to deal with the pain. Because of her unusual gait from the arthritis, she is often mistaken as a stupid, incapable woman, that perception which does make her feel stupid and incapable. That view is held by her surviving family, her brother Charlie and her Aunt Ida with who she lives. After an action by Charlie, Maud decides to seek some independence, she the only applicant for a posted job as housekeeper for brusque Everett Lewis, a poor fish seller. Despite not wanting to hire a cripple which only adds to their antagonism, Maud negotiates to get the job for room and board. Their antagonistic relationship ends up including Everett exacting beatings on Maud whenever she doesn't do what he wants. To keep herself happy, Maud begins to paint the interior of the house with happy pictures and paint similar pictures on small cards, these folk art pictures how she wants to see the world. Maud's ...

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Plot Keywords:

housekeeper | canada | f rated | disabled | disability | 

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Taglines:

Based On A True Story

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Genres:

Biography | Drama | Romance

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Motion Picture Rating (MPAA)

Rated PG-13 for some thematic content and brief sexuality.

Details

Official Sites:

Official Facebook Official site

Country:

Ireland Canada

Language:

English

Release Date:

4 August 2017 (Ireland)

Also Known As:

Maudie, el color de la vida

Filming Locations:

the Goulds, St. John's, Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada

Box Office

Budget:

€4,993,020 (estimated)

Opening Weekend USA:

$69,085, 16 June 2017, Limited Release

Gross USA:

$6,170,998, 16 November 2017

Company Credits

Production Co:

H Is 4 Productions,Landscape Entertainment,Painted House Films

Technical Specs

Runtime:

115 min

Color:

Color

Aspect Ratio:

2.35 : 1

Did You Know?

Trivia

During rehearsals, Sally Hawkins was painting three to four hours a day and had a dance teacher, a body movement person, who helped her study juvenile arthritis. She also had to practice her scenes without Ethan Hawke, who showed up on set a week before filming began, because of scheduling conflicts with The Magnificent Seven (2016).

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Goofs

Despite the fact when in the hospital near the film's end, the year is 1970, there are shots of a modern doorknob, folder holder on the wall, and automatic door sensor.

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Quotes

Everett Lewis: Learned your lesson?
Maud Lewis: Do you want me here or don't you? H'm? 'Cause I'll go! I'll walk out right now! Well do you want me here or not? I'd like my pay, please. You haven't paid me yet, not once!

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Crazy Credits

A brief clip in the end credits shows the real Maud Lewis with husband, Everett, from a 1976 black and white short, "Maud Lewis: A World Without Shadows."

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Connections

Featured in The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon: Ethan Hawke/Lorde/Allan Peterkin & Russell Cordeiro (2017)

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Soundtracks

Wild Wild One
Written by Marc Ferrari & Pete Surdoval
Courtesy of FirstCom Music

User Reviews

Go see this film if you've forgotten how to feel

It's a long time since I've seen a film as affecting as this (principally because it isn't emotionally manipulative, which I always resent). Instead it just tells a simple tale of simple folk living in simple times, between whom love eventually blossoms against the odds. It's also a sobering reminder of how hard times were in the early 20th century in rural communities, where gossip and malice were endemic, people worked their fingers to the bone and there was no room for sentimentality. That very unsentimental ethos permeates the film, though of course in many cases it tips over into cruelty, and the cruelty Maudie suffers is at times unbearable. Yet for those tempted to walk out, stick with it because her life improves and she evens starts to smile a bit, once the art therapy kicks in. Take a box of Kleenex, expect to feel humbled (and never to complain again about your affluent neuroses). Beyond that, both leads (Sally Hawkins and Ethan Hawke) are great, and the photography of Newfoundland & Nova Scotia is beautiful, capturing the seascapes and landscapes in the brilliant light.