Somewhere in between European art house film The Great Beauty and period drama Jane Eyre, lies Abi Morgan‘s adaptation of Claire Tomalin‘s biography The Invisible Woman. Director Ralph Fiennes opens the door to take a hard look at the world of Victorian society grounded in propriety and conservatism in this simple retelling of Charles Dickens mistress Nelly Ternen (Felicity Jones).

Dickens’ lover, Nelly, a hopeful actress, enters into a theatrical world of hustle and bustle. Immediately she is spied by the author (Fiennes), the man who London will not stop looking at. The Invisible Woman explores the difficulties, irritations and frustrations that come from a society grounded in rules and regulations of social modesty.

While this conservative Victorian world appears to be incomparable to modern society, Fiennes makes it relevant through his exploration of how the seemingly modern phenomenon of celebrity was present then and surrounded Dickens. What is so refreshing about Fiennes’ adaptation is the lack of embellishment and exaggeration. Many films of this kind are imposed with Hollywood endings and overly dramatised plot structures, Fiennes successfully avoids this distraction and instead focuses on an artistic recreation of Tomalin’s novel.

This can be seen in the simplicity of Felicity Jones’ acting which is heavily reliant on her body language. She performs expertly along-side a star-studded cast (Kristin Scott-Thomas and John Kavanagh) and shows her label as a ‘teenage actor’ is no longer applicable. Jones resembles Claude Monet‘s Woman with a Parasol in her delicate depiction of Nelly and truly comes into herself in this thought-provoking performance. Fiennes, while successfully creating an atmospheric spectacle, at certain points could lose sight of the story of the centre of it. None the less, Fiennes has created a beautiful film that provides the audience with a visually impressive illustration of the words of Claire Tomalin.