Moss & Freud: LFF Film Review
The story behind Lucian Freud‘s famous nude painting of one of the world’s most recognisable supermodels, Kate Moss, has been brought to life on film – with the help of Moss herself – in Moss & Freud.
After revealing in Dazed and Confused magazine that one of her ambitions was to be painted by the German-born artist, Freud (Derek Jacobi) reaches out and agrees to paint her portrait – on two conditions: That she sits for him three evenings a week and arrives on time at 7pm. That’s a huge ask for an in-demand supermodel with a non-stop schedule. But she gives up those commitments to make the painting, and over the course of several months in 2002, the duo forms an unlikely friendship and collaborates on a portrait that would eventually sell at auction for £3.5 million in 2005.
Moss executive produced and was heavily involved in the project. She approved of Ellie Bamber‘s casting and it’s clear to see why. The young actress really nails the voice and I believed her as the character quite quickly, even though there’s only a slight similarity in appearance. It’s a huge responsibility playing such a world-famous living person and being nude for many of the portrait scenes and Bamber does a solid job. I wasn’t blown away but I was also not disappointed.
Jacobi, who has more of a blank canvas as the less recognisable Freud, adopts a convincing German accent and plays his bristling, demanding Freud with a certain ambiguity. Does he just see Moss as an artistic muse? Or perhaps his designs were more romantic. Either way, she was dating magazine editor Jefferson Hack (Will Tudor) at the time, and became pregnant with her daughter, Lila Grace, over the course of the process, changing the end product significantly.
You wouldn’t expect a model and an artist with more than 50 years age difference to become friends, so this intimate portrait is very compelling. It is insightful but doesn’t truly get to the heart of their unexpected bond, which plays in stark contrast to his frosty, awkward relationship with his fashion designer daughter – and Moss’s friend – Bella (Jasmine Blackborow). But writer-director James Lucas builds the period setting well, giving us fabulous montages of Moss’s fashion highlights, and it’s pretty frank about the model’s drinking and drug-taking, something which she could have vetoed as a producer.
I liked watching Moss & Freud’s unusual friendship unfold and evolve, but the film felt a bit middle-of-the-road overall.
Moss & Freud had its world premiere at LFF on Friday 10th October. No release info yet