Mr. Pip 2012

      This film is based on a novel by Lloyd Jones.  Bougainville Island is having a civil war in the 1990’s.  This island is the main island of Papua New Guinea and also known as the North Solomons.  The civil war was fought between the Bougainville Revolutionary Army and Papua New Guinea.  Mr. Watts is the only Englishman left in the village.  Since all the teachers have left, he starts to teach the local children about the Charles Dickens novel Great Expectations.  Matilda is one of the students most interested in the story and she imagines herself with Mr. Pip as her friend.  She sees herself in Victorian dresses along the beach.  Soldiers from Papua New Guinea come to the village and their leader doesn’t understand that the Mr. Pip they are talking about is in a book.  He believes Mr. Pip is a rebel leader.

     The beginning scenes start out quietly but when the soldiers arrive, their violence against the village escalates each time they return.  The scenes of Matilda with Mr. Pip are in her imagination and she doesn’t really have him as a friend or have the dresses she sees herself wearing.  The ending is good but the final scenes with the soldiers are very difficult to watch.  3* (This movie is OK)

116 min, Drama directed by Andrew Adamson with Hugh Laurie, Xzannjah Matsi, Healesville Joel, Eka Darville, Kerry Fox, Florence Korokoro, David Kaumara.

Note:  Imdb 7.2 out of 10, 47% critic 61% audience on Rotten Tomatoes, Amazon 3.6* out of 5* with 12 reviews.