Movie · 2016 · Drama, Romance, History · 1h 55m · PG-13 · English
Curator score: 7.2/10 (34.4K ratings)
Triumph epitomizes adversity
Overview
Canadian folk artist Maud Lewis falls in love with a fishmonger while working for him as a live-in housekeeper.
Ratings
Curator score: 7.2/10
Letterboxd: 3.73/5
Rotten Tomatoes: 90%
TMDB: 7.7/10
Director
Aisling Walsh
Production
Landscape Entertainment, Screen Door, Solo Productions, Storyscape Entertainment, H Is 4 Productions, Painted House Films
Cast
Sally Hawkins, Ethan Hawke, Gabrielle Rose, Billy MacLellan, Zachary Bennett, Kari Matchett, David Feehan, Lawrence Barry, Marthe Bernard, Greg Malone, Nik Sexton, Brian Marler, Denise Sinnott, Mike Daly, Judy Hancock, Lisa Machin, Erin Mick
Curator Review
Verdict
A tender, melancholy character study with a standout central performance, Maudie turns a difficult life into something quietly luminous. It’s more rewarding for viewers who value lived-in period drama, outsider-art stories, and emotional restraint than for those looking for a conventional romance or uplifting biopic.
Best for
fans of intimate biographical dramas
viewers drawn to art-making and outsider creativity
audiences who appreciate strong lead performances
people who like period pieces with a handmade, human feel
Skip if
you need a feel-good romance
you’re sensitive to sustained emotional abuse on screen
you prefer brisk plotting over atmosphere and character study
you want a biopic that stays strictly inspirational
Overview
Maudie is the kind of film that feels small at first and then lingers because of the force of its central performance and its devotion to a singular life. Sally Hawkins gives Maud Lewis a shy, stubborn radiance, and the film understands that her art is not a hobby or a flourish but a way of surviving the world around her.
Worth noting
The movie is at its best when it lets routine, weather, and domestic space become part of Maud’s emotional landscape. The painted interiors and rural textures give the story a handmade beauty that matches the work itself, and the ending lands with real warmth because it has earned it.
Bottom line
That said, the relationship at the center can be hard to sit with, and the film sometimes asks for more patience with the husband than the material comfortably supports. Even so, it remains a moving, carefully observed portrait of resilience, creativity, and the strange ways love and harm can coexist in the same room.
Top Letterboxd reviews
bella (4★) · 874 likes
I came home from this movie, tears still streaming down my face, declaring it the best film I've ever seen. My mother goes, "why is it that whenever you watch something about old women that no one's ever heard of, you say it's the best movie ever?" And I feel like that pretty much sums up my taste. I get that this movie is imperfect, and I could've done without the focus on Everett, but Maud's story is divine and… more I came home from this movie, tears still streaming down my face, declaring it the best film I've ever seen. My mother goes, "why is it that whenever you watch something about old women that no one's ever heard of, you say it's the best movie ever?" And I feel like that pretty much sums up my taste. I get that this movie is imperfect, and I could've done without the focus on Everett, but Maud's story is divine and… more
Sara Clements (3.5★) · 478 likes
Why did Maud keep going back to Everett when Sandra was right there??
That footage of the real Maud at the end was so adorable and she had the same smile as Sally :')
Sally's films and performances are so diverse. She can play anything and it's so unfortunate that most of her work goes unnoticed. Her performance in this deserves just as much recognition as The Shape of Water.
Tess (3.5★) · 400 likes
Sandra had them Carol vibes 👀
ilinca (4★) · 354 likes
I'm going to say it right off the bat: while Maudie was ultimately beautiful, watching it was still a sad experience. My biggest issue was the nature of Maud and Everett's relationship... It felt really uncomfortable watching how ridiculously abusive and disrespectful he was with her. I know that was pretty much their situation in real life too, but the difference is that the film eventually expects us to be okay with it.
It's a complicated subject, because arguably… more
Madison 🎭 (3.5★) · 236 likes
not me being in love with 5'10, 48 year old, austin, texas native ethan hawke.....