Based on a Daphne Du Maurier book, My Cousin Rachel is a quietly impressive period piece from director Roger Michell, still probably best known for Notting Hill back in 1999.
Sam Claflin plays Philip a young man living with his older cousin and guardian Ambrose in a large estate on the Cornish coast. Due to ill-health, Ambrose has to spend part of the year in the warmer environs of Florence. There, he meets another cousin, Rachel (Rachel Weisz). They fall in love and marry, but after a while, Philip starts to receive letters from Ambrose accusing his wife of trying to kill him. After Ambrose’s quite sudden death, Rachel travels to Cornwall to stay with Philip, who is keen to unmask her as a murderer. However, when she arrives, Philip begins to fall under her spell.
In lots of ways, this is similar to Du Maurier’s more famous work, Rebecca. There is a remote setting and a lingering creepy atmosphere, but it is also a very intriguing story in its own right. I haven’t seen any of the previous adaptations or read the book, and, consequently, I was left guessing about Rachel’s guilt, or otherwise, throughout the film.
Weisz has a good presence on-screen, but it was hard to understand how she got men to fall in love with her so easily, and Claflin was a little bland in his part. The supporting performances are more impressive, particularly Holliday Grainger as Louise, Philips’ friend who is in love with him, an uncredited Tim Barlow as a servant, and Poppy Lee Friar as the local parson’s daughter.
Rachel’s fate is a little bit too sign posted, but the film is mostly deftly handled by Michell, who also adapted the story.
Rating: 7.5 out of 10