strong>Capsule Review: Written with biting edge and wit, A Quiet Passion is an impressively made period piece that defies the confines of its stuffy genre much like its subject, Emily Dickinson, often defied the traditions and expectations of her time. Cynthia Nixon delivers a strong performance as Dickinson, offering up a delicious combination of sarcasm, insult and utter depression. Jennifer Ehle, who plays her sister, is also fantastic.

Writer/director Terence Davies takes the film to another level, turning it into an alluring tale that lives not only on the strength on its actors but with beautiful cinematography, crisp editing and a mesmerizing score. As good as the melancholic scenes are, however, the movie works best as a comedy--the movie boasts some absolutely amazing scenes with some of the dryly funniest lines you'll hear all year.

Review by Erik Samdahl unless otherwise indicated.