Movie Diary 11/30/2021

The Electrical Life of Louis Wain (Will Sharpe, 2021), and The Dig (Simon Stone, 2021). Putting these together because they are both UK period pieces, seen in proximity, sharing a “lightly likable” quality and reliable British casts. In the generally middling circumstances, the term “reliable” here carries a lot of weight, and you appreciate – in case you have taken them for granted – that people like Benedict Cumberbatch, Claire Foy, and Andrea Riseborough (in the former) and Ralph Fiennes and Carey Mulligan (in the latter) are awfully valuable players. Even Olivia Colman’s Electrical Life narration is soothingly expert.