Miller’s Girl — Review: An Unrewarding Story
by KJ Proulx
Miller’s Girl is a film that looked decent to me, but the actual material was offputting, so I almost took a pass on it. However, I gave it a chance, even though I should’ve listened to my initial instincts. Not only is this film uncomfortable to watch, but it also has nothing to say either, which makes it feel pointless in my opinion. On top of that, it feels like a true story, but it’s not based on a true story. I’m not sure which audience this film was aiming at. Here are my overall thoughts on Miller’s Girl.
This film begins with Cairo (Jenna Ortega), a student who needs to decide on a subject for her next assignment. She decides to do it on Jonathan Miller (Martin Freeman), who is her teacher for the assignment. She does so because she likes his work, but also feels drawn to him. This relationship seems to be reciprocated by Miller and this sends the film on a spiral of right and wrong. Cairo’s friend Winnie (Gideon Adlon) does nothing but support her choices, even to the point of wanting her to sleep with her teacher, since there is another teacher that she wishes to be with. The whole film feels uncomfortable in that way and it never does anything to justify why.
At the very least I was hoping for a surprising revelation or a story turn that would make the viewing experience worth it, and when one actually does, the film ends with no resolution. For a film like this to have an open ending is just downright weird. It felt like a showcase of frowned-upon moments with an unlikeable collection of characters, including Miller’s wife Beatrice (Dagmara Dominczyk). The first 20–30 minutes of the film were interesting enough, but when I realized the set-up was all the film was going to be, it just became a slog to watch. These complaints are coming from someone who loves this cast too.
Martin Freeman is fantastic and Jenna Ortega has shown some great range in her career so far, and honestly, they sure do convey these characters as unlikeable, so I’ll give them props for that. Another issue though is that I never felt the connection between the two of them, it more or less just felt awkward. Miller’s Girl had the makings of a decent little film, but it stayed away from taking it one step further. I feel court cases, a big reveal, or simply a character changing who they are may have made this a good film, but nothing really happens. I now I’m getting repetitive, it’s just that I don’t have a lot to say for this one. Is it terrible? No, the filmmakers tried here, especially aesthetically and with the camerawork, but the story wasn’t of the same quality. Miller’s Girl is now available on-demand.
Rating: 2/5
Check out the trailer below:
