Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont

Here’s another great movie, previously unknown to me, that I found at the library. I was interested when I saw it on the stands because it features Joan Plowright and I love her movies. “Enchanted April” and “Tea with Mussolini” are two I can watch again and again. Mrs. Palfrey at the Claremont now falls into that category too.

This is the lovely story of a chance meeting between a lonely widow and a young man who plays music in the subway while hoping to become a writer. They develop a deep friendship that changes both of their lives.

The story begins as Mrs. Palfrey arrives in London, having left Scotland in search of intellectual stimulation and new acquaintances in the city. The hotel she booked, the Claremont, turns out to be quite different from what she expected, rather drab and gloomy. The residents all seem pathetic, and Mrs. Palfrey wonders what she’s gotten herself into. But when she meets the handsome young man, her life blossoms in a way she never could have expected. She shares with him the happy memories of her life with her husband, and he recognizes those stories of love in an earlier era are the perfect subject for any writer.

This is a really special movie. Look for it.