An orphaned girl discovers a magical garden hidden at her strict uncle’s estate.
“The Secret Garden” follows a recently orphaned girl named Mary (Dixie Egerickx), who is sent to live with her uncle, Archibald (Colin Firth). She is given strict rules on where and where not to go around the house, but like any curious kid, does not listen. She discovers a secret garden that she believes has magical qualities and with the help of her friend, Dickon (Amir Wilson), replenishes the garden to its former glory.
I remember that I read this book myself as a little girl and though this story is beloved, I don’t hold any strong feelings towards it. And while the themes of the story tackle grief, loneliness, and friendship, this latest film adaptation feels superficial and only reaches surface level. I feel that more of an impact could have been made on the audience.
In the beginning, Mary is a spoiled brat who often refuses food despite being hungry because she does not eat things like “porridge.” Mary does become more likable later on in the film as she develops a camaraderie with her two friends, but she irked me too much throughout the film, so I never really warmed up to her.
Her cousin, Colin (Edan Hayhurst), is sickly. He is isolated and hidden away by his father as he is not allowed to go outside his room. Mary encourages him to be braver, however having been sick all his life, he does not want to take any risks.
Dickon is the last kid that makes up this trio, he is the younger brother of the main servant of the house and is very outdoorsy. I liked him the best out of the three kids, however, he is not given much of a character arc. He really just helps Mary and Colin with the garden. Similarly, Colin Firth plays the grumpy uncle character very well, but also is not given much to do. All he does is mope about his dead wife and hides all her things away in one of the spare rooms.
Mary and Colin do not really know their mothers and felt abandoned by them. I found that their discovery of them to be the most interesting part of the film. Through pictures, letters, and other accessories, both kids get to imagine and see the world through their mother’s eyes and you can tell how much that means to our young protagonists.
It is quite apparent that these three young actors do not have much acting experience under their belts, and I felt that was the biggest detriment of the film since the film hinges on the kid’s chemistry together. I also found the pacing to be too slow and there was not a lot going on in the movie until the garden is re-growing. One thing I can do is compliment the film’s production design as the garden is extravagant and beautiful, and most importantly, feels magical, while the other major set-piece, the manor, feels gloomy and stifling.
Overall, I found “The Secret Garden” to be lacking. I honestly did not care about these characters enough to be invested in their story. And while there are nice moments in the film, they did not make up for how bored I felt watching this film. This latest iteration of the story feels like another unnecessary remake and is utterly forgettable.
Available On-Demand Friday, August 7th
