I love movies and I discovered this one tonight.
It was great escapism, funny, and beautiful to watch.
The perfect ending to an otherwise hectic day.
This 2017 movie, with the great Judi Dench and Indian actor Ali Fazal, is a true love story. An aging Queen Victoria develops a crush on her handsome young Indian servant whom she elevates to her teacher, confidante and friend. But, it’s the nature of the infatuation that makes the relationship between the aging monarch and her soft-spoken sensual servant so compelling. Victoria knows she is old, obese and ill-tempered and that her appeal is her power. Abdul sees something inside her not readily apparent to others (perhaps because she chose to conceal her true self) and he connects with her as a man, yes, but also as friend whose generosity transcended social status. My favorite scene: Abdul brings his wife from India and she arrives covered in a black burqa from head to toe. Queen Victoria wants to see Mrs. Munshi’s face. The great reveal prompts the Queen to say, “She’s so beautiful.” I absolutely loved that scene. To sum up the morals to this story: It’s lonely at the top and AIN’T LOVE GRAND. I cried my eyes out during the last 10 minutes of this movie, but my chihuahua is accustomed to such sudden bursts of emotion during movie-time and he just snuggled a little closer.
