The House of Mirth, a period drama starring Gillian Anderson from the year 2000 that was released at the height of her The X Files fame, has found itself a new streaming home in the UK.
The film follows Anderson’s character Lily Bart, who is caught between society’s insistence on her climbing up the social ranks and making money, and her heart’s desires.
Alongside Anderson, the film stars Ghostbusters and Blues Brothers‘ Dan Aykroyd, Pulp Fiction and Caprica‘s Eric Stoltz, and The Truman Show and Love Actually‘s Laura Linney.
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After airing on TV again the other day, the film is available to stream on Channel 4’s streaming service. You’ve only got 24 days left to watch it, however.
Film4
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The film has a solid 82% positive score on Rotten Tomatoes from 100 critic reviews, with plenty of people praising the adaptation of Edith Wharton’s 1905 novel and Anderson’s performance.
“Wharton’s gnawing saga was akin to a turn-of-the-century #MeToo manifesto and [director Terence] Davies ably transfers her complex narrative to the screen,” wrote Radio Times. “Working in Glasgow on a limited budget, he eschews costume drama frippery to present a cold, heartless milieu through intimate scenes played with intensity by the actors.”
Flick Filosopher said: “Davies behind the camera and Anderson before it navigate this social quagmire like they were born to it, and The House of Mirth is mesmerizing in its depiction of unthinking cruelty.”
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“An audacious and unexpected triumph,” added Newsday, while legendary critic Roger Ebert said: “Like the Edith Wharton novel that inspired it, Terence Davies’ The House of Mirth conceals rage beneath measured surface appearances. This is one of the saddest stories ever told about the traps that society sets for women.”
Not every critic enjoyed the film however, with the BBC stating that Davies “omits to give his film any emotional drive”.
The House of Mirth is available to stream now on Channel 4.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he’s covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I’m a Fish.
