Not the society pages of a glossy magazine where Meghan Markle has once again elbowed her way to the front of an event uninvited in order for the paparazzi to photograph her in her latest ill fitting frock but instead Portraits of Dangerous Women is a low key light comedy drama. Those women are Ashley (Yazmin Monet Prince), Steph (Jeany Spark) and Tina (Tara Fitzgerald) all unknown to one another until their lives intersect at a road accident where Steph has apparently run over a dog. With Ashley keen to hold Steph to account and Tina knowing more than she initially lets on the film unfolds as their casual acquaintance with each other develops into something much more.
Steph is a teacher in a disintegrating marriage and frustrated by her school and counselled by her art dealer father Jon (Mark Lewis Jones). She’ s unaware that Tina is her schools maintenance (wo)man with her own unexpected back story and Ashley is a young woman whose interest in collecting old photos as art will bring about a friendship with Jon. All of them are coasting through a life in a small English village where everyone would know each other – except here the three don’t’ but the three of them are existing rather than living a fuller life. Their acquaintance evolves into something more as the film develops.
Portraits of dangerous Women strength lies in its cast. Tara Fitzgerald remains one of our great actresses and the past couple of years has seen her in a flurry of productions and her calm presence here plays nicely against the always good Jeany Spark’s sparky yet slightly ditzy character, Steph. Yazmin Monet Prince rounds out the trio and continues her rise as one of the UK’s best young actress. And the triumvirate are complimented by Mark Lewis Jones, a well know face and an actor with a prolific number of excellent roles under his belt and who should really be a household name.
Directed and co-written by Pascal Bergamin the film is not without its moments with some decent scenes notably one where Tina tells her story about how she came to be a school caretaker in what is generally not a particularly engaging dialogue and ultimately at just over a slow ninety minutes this would be better served as a TV drama.
related feature : ‘Touch’ – director Baltasar Kormakur (‘Beast’) talks romance, covid and turmoil on his new drama
related feature : Tara Fitzgerald in ‘ Kindling’ reviewed here
Here’s the Portrait of Dangerous Women trailer…….
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