Nicole Kidman and Kirsten Dunst Give Haunting Performances in Sofia Coppola’s ‘The Beguiled’

Sandra Miska

18 years after “The Virgin Suicides,” director Sofia Coppola once again tells the story of a house full of isolated women in “The Beguiled.” This time, however, it is not tyrannical parents keeping the young women barricaded, but the Civil War. Based on the novel “A Painted Devil” by Thomas P. Cullinan, which was also the basis for a 1971 film, “The Beguiled” begins in 1864 Virginia where a young schoolgirl, Amy (Oona Laurence), comes across injured union soldier Corporal John McBurney (Colin Farrell) in the woods behind her boarding school, Miss Farnsworth’s Seminary for Young Ladies. Despite misgivings about helping a Yankee, Martha Farnsworth (Nicole Kidman) decides to show Christian compassion by stitching up McBurney’s wounded leg and allowing him to stay until he is healed, although it is up in the air whether she’ll let him walk away or turn him into passing Confederate troops. In addition to Amy, four other girls who were unable to make it home during wartime for various reasons are under Martha’s care, plus a young teacher, Miss Edwina Dabney (Coppola mainstay Kirsten Dunst). Not surprisingly, the handsome stranger causes quite a stir among the young women, particularly Edwina and coquettish teen Alicia (Elle Fanning). Even the calm and coolheaded Martha isn’t immune to the charms of McBurney, a native of Dublin. Much humor comes from the ladies vying for McBurney’s attention. However, what transpires is a thriller of sorts, as underneath the soldier’s gentlemanly exterior is a man with an agenda.

The woman McBurney initially zones in on is Edwina, a 30ish woman who isn’t waiting on a sweetheart to come home from battle. She admits to John that what she wants most in the world is for someone to take her far away. McBurney, however, has no desire to be far away, and looks for ways to make himself useful around his new home, proving his handiness with a garden hoe, among other things. The situation eventually takes a dark turn, causing McBurney to make a drastic transformation, dramatically raising the stakes for everyone involved, leading to a suspenseful final act.

Although the film is set during war, “The Beguiled” is not a political film, as McBurney isn’t invested in the cause he was fighting for – he took another man’s place for a kingly sum of $300. Furthermore, Coppola has received some heat for not including the character of a slave woman who played a pivotal role in the novel and first film. Such a POV is sorely missed here, as although Coppola is a brilliant director, diversity isn’t her strong suit. But Dunst is proving to be her secret weapon, as she gives a haunting performance as a woman desperate for something more. Kidman is also excellent here as the prim and proper Martha. Just as she was in “Cold Mountain,” she is so convincing a Southern bell that one almost forgets that she hails from Australia. Even Fanning, a one-note temptress character, plays her part so well it’s hard to tear one’s eyes from her.

“The Beguiled” opens June 23 in Los Angeles and New York, expanding to more theaters June 30.