In Maudie, Irish-born director Aisling Walsh tells the biographical story of Maud Lewis (1903–1970), a woman debilitated by arthritis but who becomes a beloved Canadian folk artist. Maudie, played by Sally Hawkins, strikes out on her own after she discovers her childhood home has been sold and the house where she currently resides, that of her disgruntled caretaker, Aunt Ida, becomes unbearable to live in. She heads to a dry goods store one day, and after overhearing that a local fishmonger, Everett (Ethan Hawke), is looking for a live-in housekeeper, Maud follows the reclusive Everett home and applies for the position.
Though at times cruel to Maudie, Everett reluctantly asks her to marry him. To bring joy to her surroundings, the frail Maudie soon begins painting primitive art on household items and the bare-wood walls, doors, and windows of the small shack, as well as discarded wooden boards and postcards. An encounter with a wealthy woman with a summer home nearby turns Maudie’s life around for the better.
Maudie is a biopic about a woman who transcends the painful disability that restricts her movement but not her determination. Maudie (2017, PG-13) is available for checkout at Herrick Library.
Reviewed by Rosemarie Leenerts, Library Assistant
