Kate and Judi Create A Moving Portrait
Dame Judi Dench turns in a subtle, touching performance as writer Iris Murdoch, who realizes she is losing an unwinnable fight against her decaying mind. Kate Winslet as the younger Murdoch positively glows. Jim Broadbent won an Academy Award for Best Supporting Actor but it's the women who make this film. Director Richard Eyre overloads an already moving story with heavy theme music and manipulative editing, but don't let that stop you. This bio-pic of an important writer works better on the small screen.