“Ladies in Lavender” is the fourth film in a month-long tribute to Dame Maggie Smith with a special “Maggie Mondays” series in March featuring a different Maggie Smith film every Monday.
“Ladies in Lavender” stars Dame Maggie Smith, Dame Judi Dench and Daniel Bruhl.
Two sisters befriend a mysterious foreigner who washes up on the beach of their 1930s Cornish seaside village. They saved a stranger from the sea and in return he stole their hearts.
Taking place in pre-World War II England, aging sisters Ursula (Judi Dench) and Janet (Maggie Smith) live peacefully in their cottage on the shore of Cornwall. One morning following a violent storm, the sisters spot from their garden a nearly-drowned man lying on the beach. They nurse him back to health and discover that he is Polish.
Communicating in broken German while they teach him English, they learn his name is Andrea (Daniel Brühl) and that he is a particularly gifted violinist. His boat was on its way to America, where he is headed to look for a better life.
It doesn't take long for them to become attached to Andrea, and they dote on him. Other townspeople, however, have their suspicions, especially when he befriends a Russian woman, Olga (Natascha McElhone).
“An unexpected joy! Touching … a warm and literate film with charm, sweetness and class.” — Rex Reed, NY Observer