The "story" (and I put that in quotes because there is very little plot to the story) surrounds a three-generation family: Sophia (Emily Matthews), her father (Anders Danielsen Lie), and her grandmother (Close), as they spend the summer together on an island in the Gulf of Finland in the aftermath of Sophia's mother's passing. They never really talk in specifics about how they're all coping or grieving. I think I read somewhere that it's more about the tone of the performances and cinematography than any drama in the screenplay. And wow is it a beautifully shot movie. The setting very much feels like it's own character in the story, which is sort of necessary with how little plot there is. Again, I could not find a clip of an actual scene from the movie, so I'm including one of the trailers here.
One thing that makes me wonder about whether or not Meryl would've been interested in this role is how old it's played. Close is only two years older than Meryl, but if we compare this role with Miranda Priestly, the two actors are basically the same age when they did their filming. And yes, Grandmother is not a New York fashion executive, where everything is all polished and put together. Meryl certainly doesn't shy away from roles that are not glamourous. But she does often play roles where the character is at times ten to fifteen years younger than she is. Partly it's because she can. And partly, I imagine, it's because there just are just fewer roles for women who are truly meant to be pushing 80. The longer you can believably portray someone younger as a woman in Hollywood, the longer you're likely to do it, because it's probably more likely that directors/producers/casting directors can realistically envision you in the role.
Close does a beautiful job in the role, pairing with Matthews as they explore the natural terrain around the island. They get dirty, grow things, make things, celebrate midsommar, navigate some dangers. It's a tender juxtaposition of age and youth, and as mentioned above, it is so beautifully shot with so many of the scenes taking place out doors. Meryl isn't in a lot of movies that feel sort of meditative and quiet. This would have been an interesting and fun opportunity. And she would've gotten to do a Finnish accent!
The film did fairly well with critics, sitting at 81% on Rotten Tomatoes and a respectable 62 on Metacritic. Glenn close garnered the most favorable notices of all. But my guess is that the movie was so quiet (box office of $2 million) that it just didn't gain any traction with awards bodies. Still a lovely watch, regardless.
I never thought about this before! Meryl HAS played lots of roles that are significantly younger than her real age. Is that common with older actresses, I wonder? If not, perhaps this is what has kept Meryl particularly relevant, especially past 50. If she can convince directors to let her play much younger, she has access to a much more substantial number of roles. She was almost 20 years older than Katherine Graham would have been in The Post, I think.
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