# Iris (2001 film)

Iris is a 2001 biographical drama film about novelist Iris Murdoch and her relationship with her husband John Bayley. Directed by Richard Eyre from a screenplay he co-wrote with Charles Wood, the film is based on Bayley's 1999 memoir Elegy for Iris. Judi Dench and Jim Broadbent portray Murdoch and Bayley during the later stages of their marriage, while Kate Winslet and Hugh Bonneville appear as the couple in their younger years. The film contrasts the start of their relationship, when Murdoch was an outgoing, dominant individual compared to the timid and scholarly Bayley, and their later life, when Murdoch was suffering from Alzheimer's disease and tended to by a frustrated Bayley in their North Oxford home in Charlbury Road. The beach scenes were filmed at Southwold in Suffolk, one of Murdoch's favourite haunts.
The film had its world premiere in Los Angeles on 14 December 2001, followed by a theatrical release in the United Kingdom on 18 January 2002 and in the United States on 29 March. It grossed $16 million on a $5.5 million budget and received positive reviews, with praise towards the performances. For his role as Bayley, Broadbent won Best Supporting Actor at the 74th Academy Awards, with Dench (Best Actress) and Winslet (Best Supporting Actress) also receiving nominations.

## Plot

When the young Iris Murdoch meets fellow student John Bayley at Somerville College, Oxford, he is a naive virgin easily flummoxed by her libertine spirit, arch personality, and obvious artistic talent. Decades later, little has changed and the couple keep house, with John doting on his more famous wife. When Iris begins experiencing forgetfulness and dementia, however, the devoted John struggles with hopelessness and frustration. He becomes her carer, as his wife's mind deteriorates from the ravages of Alzheimer's disease.

## Cast

* Judi Dench as Iris Murdoch
** Kate Winslet as young Iris
* Jim Broadbent as John Bayley
** Hugh Bonneville as young John
* Penelope Wilton as Janet Stone
** Juliet Aubrey as young Janet
* Timothy West as Maurice
** Samuel West as young Maurice
* Siobhan Hayes as Checkout girl
* Kris Marshall as Dr Gudgeon

## Reception

Review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes reported that 79% of 110 critics gave the film a positive review, with an average rating of 7.1/10. The website's critical consensus states, "A solidly constructed drama, Iris is greatly elevated by the strength of its four lead performances." Metacritic assigned the film a weighted average score of 76 out of 100, based on 30 critics, indicating "generally favorable reviews".

## Awards and nominations

| Award | Category | Recipient | Result |
| Academy Awards | Best Actress | Judi Dench | Nominated |
| Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Jim Broadbent | Won |
| Academy Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Kate Winslet | Nominated |
| Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Jim Broadbent | Nominated |
| Awards Circuit Community Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Kate Winslet | Nominated |
| Berlin International Film Festival | Golden Bear | Richard Eyre | Nominated |
| Berlin International Film Festival | New Talent Award (Actor) | Hugh Bonneville | Won |
| British Academy Film Awards | Outstanding British Film | Robert Fox, Scott Rudin and Richard Eyre | Nominated |
| British Academy Film Awards | Best Actor in a Leading Role | Jim Broadbent | Nominated |
| British Academy Film Awards | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Judi Dench | Won |
| British Academy Film Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Hugh Bonneville | Nominated |
| British Academy Film Awards | Best Actress in a Supporting Role | Kate Winslet | Nominated |
| British Academy Film Awards | Best Adapted Screenplay | Richard Eyre and Charles Wood | Nominated |
| Christopher Awards | Feature Film | Feature Film | Won |
| Critics' Choice Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Jim Broadbent | Nominated |
| European Film Awards | Best Actor | Hugh Bonneville | Nominated |
| European Film Awards | Best Actor | Jim Broadbent | Nominated |
| European Film Awards | Best Actress | Judi Dench | Nominated |
| European Film Awards | Best Actress | Kate Winslet | Won |
| Evening Standard British Film Awards | Best Actress | Kate Winslet (Also for Enigma and Quills) | Won |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Judi Dench | Nominated |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actor – Motion Picture | Jim Broadbent | Won |
| Golden Globe Awards | Best Supporting Actress – Motion Picture | Kate Winslet | Nominated |
| Golden Trailer Awards | Best Documentary Poster | Best Documentary Poster | Nominated |
| Humanitas Prize | Feature Film Category | Richard Eyre and Charles Wood | Won |
| Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards | Best Actress | Judi Dench | Nominated |
| Las Vegas Film Critics Society Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Kate Winslet | Nominated |
| London Film Critics Circle Awards | British Actress of the Year | Judi Dench | Won |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Jim Broadbent (Also for Moulin Rouge!) | Won |
| Los Angeles Film Critics Association Awards | Best Supporting Actress | Kate Winslet | Won |
| Nastro d'Argento | Best Song | Moni Ovadia | Nominated |
| National Board of Review Awards | Best Supporting Actor | Jim Broadbent (Also for Moulin Rouge!) | Won |
| National Board of Review Awards | Special Recognition For Excellence In Filmmaking | Special Recognition For Excellence In Filmmaking | Won |
| New York Film Critics Circle Awards | Best Actor | Jim Broadbent | Runner-up |
| New York Film Critics Online Awards | Best Actress | Judi Dench | Won |
| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Best Actress in a Leading Role | Judi Dench | Nominated |
| Phoenix Film Critics Society Awards | Best Actor in a Supporting Role | Jim Broadbent | Nominated |
| Russian Guild of Film Critics Awards | Best Foreign Actress | Judi Dench | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | Best Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Judi Dench | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | Best Supporting Actor in a Motion Picture – Drama | Jim Broadbent | Nominated |
| Satellite Awards | Best Supporting Actress in a Motion Picture – Drama | Kate Winslet | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Female Actor in a Leading Role | Judi Dench | Nominated |
| Screen Actors Guild Awards | Outstanding Performance by a Male Actor in a Supporting Role | Jim Broadbent | Nominated |