The first trailer has dropped for Ammonite, an Oscar hopeful for two actresses who are no stranger to Academy Awards buzz—Saoirse Ronan and Kate Winslet. The film is the latest from Francis Lee and has the most fascinating of premises.
The flick is set in 1840s Britain and features fossil seeker Mary Anning (Winslet), taking on a young woman (Ronan), who suffers from they called back in those days… melancholy. It is her husband’s belief that being given an activity to focus her mental attention on is all she needs to break the spell of depression that has washed over her. Thing is, Ronan and Winslet are attracted to one another, and given the former’s situation and the time period, look for Ammonite to dig up a whole lot more than fossils.
These two actresses can do no wrong in my book. Winslet has famously won an Oscar and Ronan, well let’s just say that it is more of a question of when not if the Irish thespian will win her bald gold dude.
The film is set to open in theaters November 13, whether or not that will happen time will tell. But I will say this if Covid rears its head and things get worse and all those theaters that are planning to open this weekend wind up closing, Ammonite is certainly a flick that will play well on VOD and other online formats. It won’t hurt its Oscar chances, particularly if the power of the story resonates as much as it is teased to be from this first trailer.