North Carolina mountains at the end of the 1920s – George and Serena Pemberton, love-struck newly-weds, begin to build a timber empire. Serena soon proves herself to be equal to any man: overseeing loggers, hunting rattle-snakes, even saving a man’s life in the wilderness. With power and influence now in their hands, the Pembertons refuse to let anyone stand in the way of their inflated love and ambitions. However, once Serena discovers George’s hidden past and faces an unchangeable fate of her own, the Pemberton’s passionate marriage begins to unravel leading toward a dramatic reckoning.
**_Tragic tale of a timber baron and his new wife in North Carolina, 1929-1930_**
As The Depression sets-in, Pemberton (Bradley Cooper) brings his wife to his logging ranch in the Smokey Mountains (Jennifer Lawrence) and she has no problem proving her mettle with the guys. She settles in, but treachery soon manifests.
Shot in the spring of 2012, "Serena” wasn’t released until 2.5 years later in 2014-2015. It was inspired by the 2008 novel, but is different enough that the two have to be viewed as separate entities in order to appreciate the movie. Here, Serena is mentally unstable and vulnerable underneath her surface strengths whilst, in the book, she is strong and in control until the very last line. She often wears dresses and looks glammed-up whereas the novel makes it a point that she dresses like a man, always wearing trousers. Moreover, Pemberton is much nicer here. There are several other changes as well.
As such, I’m reviewing this as a stand-alone story. It’s great for the first half with top-of-the-line locations and cinematography, as well as a compelling enough drama with occasional thrills, including crimes and corruption. It goes without saying that the period piece costumes and sets are superb. At the halfway point, however, it bogs down, turning melancholy and, then, relentlessly downbeat for the final act. Think “Revolutionary Road.”
So, I understand the low ratings, but there’s still a lot of gems to mine from the heart-rending proceedings. For instance, the movie stresses the expectations of wedlock, such as total faithfulness and the sense of betrayal when one is (inevitably) let down. Furthermore, with a husband and wife, it’s assumed that an heir is forthcoming and, if that fails to manifest, it can change everything, real or imagined. Think of Hannah’s situation in the opening chapter of 1 Samuel.
Lastly, Rhys Ifans’ Galloway is a fascinating character, a sigma male with mystical trappings and a whiff of danger. Too bad there wasn’t enough time to flesh him out more.
It runs 1 hour, 49 minutes, and was shot in the Czech Republic at Barrandov Studios, Prague, with establishing shots done at Great Smoky Mountains National Park in North Carolina.
GRADE: B-
