“Iris” is the second film in a month-long tribute to Dame Judi Dench with a special “Judi-Judi-Judi” series in April featuring a different Judi Dench film every Monday.
“Iris” garnered three Academy Award nominations, including Best Leading Actress for Judi Dench, Best Supporting Actress for Kate Winslet and won the Oscar for Best Supporting Actor for Jim Broadbent.
Two of the most acclaimed actresses of our time — Judi Dench and Kate Winslet — bring to the screen one of the most extraordinary women of her generation, celebrated author, Iris Murdoch. From her days as a brilliant scholar at Oxford, where she thrilled the world around her with her libertine spirit, through her career as a philosopher and novelist, Iris was truly ahead of her time.
“Iris” is a moving and tender depiction of the life of the revered British writer and philosopher. It is a story of unlikely yet enduring love.
As a young academic, teaching philosophy at Oxford, the young Murdoch (played by Kate Winslet) meets and eventually falls in love with fellow professor John Bayley (Hugh Bonneville), a man whose awkwardness seems in stark opposition to the spirited self-confidence of his future wife.
The story unfolds as snippets of time, seen through older Bayley's (Jim Broadbent's) eyes. He recalls their first encounter over forty years ago, activities they enjoyed doing together, and Iris' charismatic and individualistic personality. These images portray Murdoch (played in her later years by Judi Dench) as a vibrant young woman with great intellect and are contrasted with the novelist's later life, after the effects of Alzheimer's disease have taken their toll on her. Murdoch's great mind deteriorates until she is reduced to a mere vestige of her former self, unable to perform simple tasks and completely reliant on her at times frustrated yet devoted husband.
“A most beautiful love story.” — Daily Mail
“With Judi Dench and Kate Winslet, director Richard Eyre has struck gold twice.” — Rolling Stone
“All the leads are terrific! Dench’s superb performance literally screams Oscar. Broadbent is outstanding.” — Empire