Biographical drama 'The Laureate' explores the post-World War I creative block and complex love life of British poet Robert Graves. Tom Hughes stars.
The writing process is notoriously hard to depict onscreen in captivating ways, and “The Laureate,” a bio-drama about British war poet and author, is no exception. But when a film like this, which aims to immerse us in a bygone world of creative inspiration and output, can’t sufficiently capture the grit, joy and catharsis of artistic achievement, it undercuts much of its potential power.
The film is nicely framed by a spoken letter Graves’ illustrator wife, Nancy Nicholson , writes to him reflecting on their unconventional relationship. “If you invite a serpent into your home, perhaps you shouldn’t be surprised if it bites you,” she ominously contends at the start.
But a disturbing sequence between Riding and the impressionable Catherine lets us know that all’s not right in the American’s psyche and the nirvana that’s blossomed at World’s End may be short-lived. Riding eventually draws fetching, aspiring Irish poet Geoffrey into what she calls her and Graves’ “holy circle” — and another ménage à trois is born. Reenter Nicholson to alter the dynamics of that increasingly fraught troika and recalibrate her own uncertain future.