Seeking Restitution

Rating: 9/10 (6 April 2015)

Based on the true story of a woman trying to get back her properties more than 50 years after leaving her homeland because of Nazi persecution, "The Woman in Gold" offers an idea of how difficult it is to fight the big guys, without making the film a complex courtroom drama or diluting every element to make it overly sentimental. In the hands of Reynolds and Mirren, the main players in this drama, we get a satisfying and entertaining movie.
Told by mixing contemporary and flashback footage, we learn about the origins of the artwork that Maria is trying to recover from the Austrian government. Her parents, uncle and aunt collected and commissioned art pieces in their prosperous days in Austria, only to see it stolen and appropriated by different people before some of it landed in famous museums. Maria must fight a "will" written by her aunt (the lady in the portrait), with the help of a young lawyer who might or might not have enough stamina and experience to fight the big legal firms protecting what the other side now claims to be deeply associated with Austrian identity, ignoring a few legal complications along the way.
The best part of the film is watching the interaction between Mirren and Reynolds. She's old and tired, with fire in her heart and the disposition to fight whoever blocks her way, but she is also old and tired, and this is beautifully portrayed by Mirren. There's a big heart in her, and she takes on a motherly role to push Reynolds to fight her battle. She's full of tough love, eventually turning the business relationship into something deeper and more meaningful.
Reynolds might not have been the most obvious choice for the attorney, but he does a decent job here, showing that he has the spirit to learn and the perseverance to honor or maybe live up to a pair of talented and respected relatives with ties to the Austrian motherland. Something clicks inside of him as he visits that country for the first time, and with the support of his client/friend, he is willing to risk his professional and personal lives to accomplish what many see as an impossible enterprise.
The flashbacks are exquisitely done, and the actors portraying the younger Maria and her husband (Max Irons) are very good, especially the younger Maria who resembles Mirren in her looks and attitude. She grows up from a rich and moody socialite to survivor who must find a way to America, a place where she will be able to have a future. Her ties to her family are strong, and her eventual decisions are difficult to make. The recreation of the period is exquisite, and it's always a pleasure to have the movies take us back to the past or to another land, so we can learn a little bit more about ourselves and/or human nature.
In conclusion, here is a movie with a message, with entertainment, and with a little bit of history, so that we don't forget and hopefully we won't make the same mistakes again.