Widow Clicquot

Directed by Thomas Napper, who most recently directed episodes of The Wheel of Time (Prime Video), and starring Haley Bennett, Tom Sturridge and Sam Riley, champagne is the essence of this moving drama film about the life of Barbe-Nicole Clicquot. We follow Barbe-Nicole, played by an unassuming yet magnetic Bennett, a bereaved widow who takes control of her late husband’s vineyard and passionately tries to revitalise and innovate it in order to turn a profit.

Widow Clicquot is a welcome addition to adaptations of historical women in positions of power who must fight against the prejudiced assumptions of their male peers. The narrative is not told linearly. We jump back and forth between two timeframes; the initial marriage bliss of the Clicquots as the couple dote on each other and François teaches Barbe-Nicole about the vineyard, before his descent into mania that ultimately leads to his passing, and then the aftermath of this, where widow Barbe-Nicole tries to run the vineyard. The frequent shifts between these timeframes are beautifully done, often utilising the set design or relying on Bennett who subtly illustrates the pain of widowhood through her expressions.

The film is set amidst the Napoleonic Wars, and this is partially used as a script device to emphasise the challenges Barbe-Nicole has to face, but not to its full capability. Unlike period drama staples such as Gosford Park, Sense and Sensibility or Gladiator, movies in which the period setting operates as a supplementary character to great effect, here it is very much just the backdrop. Additionally, the score was not particularly inspiring, and certain scenes were let down by clunky dialogue delivery. But to its credit, Widow Clicquot never feels busy or convoluted, and the audience is allowed breathing space within scenes to further comprehend the emotions and motivations of the characters.

Just like the pressure in a champagne bottle, bubbling with the promise of delight when the cork is released, it felt like the feature was building to a climax. But in this instance, the cork unfortunately failed to pop. We don’t get to see any of the success Barbe-Nicole helped to facilitate; instead, we are told in a wordy afterword before the closing credits, leaving a somewhat unsatisfactory end to the film, but not enough to negate the overall quality. Widow Clicquot is a surprisingly engaging story of the strength and determination of a remarkable woman in history; simple yet a delight.

Sunny Morgan

Widow Clicquot is released nationwide on 23rd August 2024.

Watch the trailer for Widow Clicquot here: