THE HOUSE OF THE SPIRITS

Where to start with this one? The House of the Spirits (1994) is a supernatural, political drama, love story, and period piece that spans three generations in an unnamed South American country. Is that not enough for you? Well then, let’s throw in some class warfare, American wild west type antics, and tits. Plenty of tits. I ask you… does this sound like a film that would feature Academy Award winners Jeremy Irons, Meryl Streep, and Vanessa Redgrave… and Academy Award nominees Glenn Close, Antonio Banderas, and Winona Ryder? If you said, “no”, you would unfortunately be wrong.

Let me be clear, the acting by most of the primary cast is truly outstanding, despite the story. Jeremy Irons plays the central character Esteban Trueba. He’s a man who wishes to marry into a wealthy family and vows to work tirelessly to be worthy of Rosa del Valle. Unfortunately, Rosa dies, and Esteban is forced to set out on his own journey of accumulating wealth and power. He is a very unlikable character. In fact, he’s loathsome, and contemptible and for most of the movie seems to have absolutely no redeeming qualities.

Glenn Close is outstanding as Esteban’s sister, Ferula, and the fact that she was not nominated for an Oscar for this performance says much more about the film than the actress. Close is heartbreaking as an undesirable, single (possibly lesbian) woman living in an era when her worth and employment are completely dependent upon a man (and worse yet a self-serving brother). She eventually becomes a sister-in-law to Clara del Valle (Meryl Streep), when Esteban schemes to marry the younger sister of Rosa, his originally intended bride. His sole criteria for a wife, as he explains to Clara's parents, is that she be able to bear children.

Clara has displayed clairvoyant abilities since she was born. As a child, she found these abilities to be a burden and eventually would stop speaking of them. She would instead write of her life in journals… journals she would later pass on to her daughter in the hope that they would assist her in navigating her life. Her daughter with Esteban, as an adult, is played by Winona Ryder. Sadly, Ryder’s performance is a complete disappointment when compared with the other actors in this celebrity-heavy movie. Not once during this film was I able to see the character (Blanca Trueba) instead of the actress, Ryder. Honestly, it’s as if Ryder felt a hairstyle and wardrobe change could magically transform her into a character that was rich with possibilities. They didn’t. All that aside, Clara eventually tries to tell Blanca that all the vile things that her dad did over the years never came from a place of malice. Huh? At this point in the film, it is almost too late to try and redeem Esteban. But the story still attempts to do so.

The two most recent Meryl Streep films on my 2022 journey were outstanding. To follow them up with this movie was quite a disappointment. This film is proof yet again that a stellar cast cannot save a poorly developed script.

If you are a cinephile, The House of the Spirits may excite you. Honestly, it is SO well-acted. If, however, you prefer that outstanding acting be accompanied by great storytelling… this flick sadly isn’t for you. This film never seems to know what message it is trying to convey, despite its stellar cast.