A powerful experience.

Rachel Griffiths deserved her Oscar nomination for her portrayal Hillary Du Pre.

Rachel Griffiths deserved the nomination for her role as Hilary, the elder sister of British cellist Jacqueline du Pre who was an outstanding musical talent. The film is actually based on Hilary and her brother Piers' account of their sister's life, A Genius in the Family and it depicts the early lives of these two middle class girls, as Jacqueline's talent begins to outshine her sisters. We learn about their marriages, Jacqueline's to the conductor Daniel Barenboim, played by James Frain, and Hilary's, also to a conductor, Kiffer Finzi (David Morrissey)... We learn how a family's life becomes sacrificed to a prodigious talent.

While the early part of the film is told from Hilary's perspective, about halfway through the film we see life through Jacqueline's eyes - we learn of her loneliness, and the change in her life brought about by the early onset of multiple sclerosis. It's a powerful experience, Hilary and Jackie, not least because of the two powerhouse performances at its core. The director was Anand Tucker who'd made documentaries about musicians before. The film expects a bit from its audience because of its change of focus. Do we identify with the sacrifice of Hilary in the face of Jacquline's seeming selfishness? Do we empathise with Jacqueline's decline? Well, both I think. It is a devastating portrait of a woman of genius and of an illness which produces symptoms which alienate those around her. It's also the story of a complex sibling relationship. A very rewarding film experience I think.