Vita and Virginia (3 Stars)

This is a true story based on the romance between Vita Sackville-West and Virginia Woolf from 1925 to 1928. I confess that I knew almost nothing about either of these women before I sat down to watch the film. After it finished I searched online for details about their lives. In retrospect, I wish I'd known about them first. My recommendation to anyone who wants to watch this film is that you should familiarise yourself with the characters first.

Vita and Virginia – I'll stick to their first names – were two English writers from the opposite ends of society. Vita was an aristocrat who lived in a large mansion. Her husband was a diplomat who was shuttled from country to country by the government. Virginia and her husband owned a small publishing company, and they could barely avoid bankruptcy. Vita's books were bestsellers. Virginia's books, published by her own company, sold just enough to make a profit.

Vita was fascinated by Virginia's books and determined to meet her, even though she was discouraged by her family. When they met, Vita fell in love with her and began to woo her. Vita had had previous lesbian relationships, but it was new to Virginia. Vita also aided Virginia by letting her new books be published by Virginia's company. Virginia was jealous that Vita's books sold so well, but Vita always insisted that Virginia was the better writer.

Homosexuality wasn't something that people talked about in those days. Their relationship was kept secret from the public, but their husbands knew about it.

Vita, played by Gemma Arterton, isn't a very pleasant person. She uses Virginia, and she doesn't hesitate to hurt her when she doesn't get her way. Virginia, played by Elizabeth Debicki, is emotionally unstable, and she has a mental breakdown when Vita parades her new girlfriend in front of her.

I'm a big fan of Gemma Arterton, as I constantly repeat whenever I review her films, but in this film I was amazed by the performance of Elizabeth Debicki. I've seen her in lots of other films, but today is the first time I realised what a good actress she is. The subtle changes in her facial expressions express a range of emotions. I'll pay more attention to her in her other films when I watch them again.

Despite the relatively low rating I've given this film, I'm sure to watch it again. I think I'll be able to enjoy it more now that I know the backgrounds of the two women.

Here are photos of the two women taken at the time when they were having an affair.

Vita Sackville-West in 1926

Virginia Woolf in 1927

Virginia Woolf died by suicide in 1941 (not shown in the film). After her death her books became widely popular, far outselling Vita's books. In contrast, Vita's books fell in popularity as time went by, and today very few people know her name. Virginia's most famous book, "Orlando", was inspired by Vita, and the first edition contained photos claimed to be of Orlando, but they were photos of Vita.