Persuasion on Netflix: Sincere Dakota Johnson tries to salvage terrible romantic drama

Persuasion would have struck a chord with those fond of romantic dramas had it featured even a semi-decent screenplay. However, as it stands, Persuasion is just a collection of drab monologues and nothing else.

Persuasion — which debuted on Netflix last week — had the potential to be an intense and profoundly moving take on love and regret, given that it is based on Jane Austen’s classic novel of the same name. The romantic drama, however, ends up being nothing more than a wasted opportunity as the execution is all over the place.

Persuasion revolves around Anne Elliot (Dakota Johnson), a young and confused woman who lives in regret as she once turned down an opportunity to marry the charming Captain Frederick Wentworth (Cosmo Jarvis). Things take a surprising turn when she comes face-to-face with her former lover, nearly eight years later, following a twist of fate. The plot is just about as good as it gets, for it deals with a relatable issue — separation. But, it goes absolutely nowhere since Persuasion has nothing even remotely resembling a solid screenplay.

Watch the trailer of Persuasion:

A film about ex-lovers and their attempts at trying to rekindle a past romance can work only if the characters have depth. Take the Hindi-language classic Aandhi (1975) for instance. The Gulzar-directed movie clicked with the audience as one could feel the pain experienced by JK (Sanjeev Kumar) and Aarti Devi (Suchitra Sen) as the screenplay managed to ‘show’ us their feelings, thereby allowing even their silences to speak. Similarly, the Tamil-language movie 96, which opened in theatres nearly five decades after Aandhi and catered to a different audience, used a similar approach to give us two popular reel lovers, Ram (Vijay Sethupathi) and Janaki (Trisha Krishnan).

This is exactly where Persuasion falls flat, as it simply lacks the pathos associated with these films. The film opens with a couple of shots which merely touch upon Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth’s love story. We are then subjected to a series of drab monologues from a teary-eyed Anne about how she is still in love with him. The focus then shifts to her family, something that proves to be Persuasion's undoing as these rushed sequences rob it of its depth. A series of fourth-wall-breaking monologues add to the problem as they simply ‘tell’ us what the protagonist experiences without letting her silences do the talking. A touch of subtlety was the need of the hour here!

That said, Persuasion is not an entirely unwatchable affair as Dakota rises above the lacklustre screenplay to infuse some life into a couple of emotional scenes. A sequence in which Anne Elliot and Frederick Wentworth talk about their past bond and decide to remain friends is a case in point, as the actress' expressive eyes do an excellent job of conveying the pain experienced by her character. Her performance and this scene, in particular, would have been a treat for old-school romantics had the writing not been so toothless.

Actors such as Cosmo, Henry Golding, and Nia Towle too make their presence felt despite being burdened with characters that are reduced to mere caricatures. It goes without saying that they deserved better.