The Bookshop (2017)

(On Cable TV, April 2021) I can recognize a strong, strong bibliophilic wish-fulfillment aspect to The Bookshop, largely by virtue of being a bibliophile myself. Taking place in a 1950s backwater coastal English town, it’s about a woman (Emily Mortimer) bringing civilization to the unenlightened masses by opening a bookshop in a poorly maintained property. But things don’t play out harmoniously, as she comes in conflict with an influential local woman (Patricia Clarkson, unusually malevolent) who had her own plans for the property… and the prejudices of the local population. This being an adaptation of a book aimed at readers, we’re meant to nod in recognition, as some of the time’s literary sensations become plot elements:  One stuffy character’s enthusiasm for Bradbury’s Fahrenheit 451 immediately brands him as a likable character (well, he is played by Bill Nighy), while we know that Nabokov’s Lolita is going to cause some trouble for the protagonist. Where The Bookshop does distinguish itself from expectations, however, is in the somewhat less-than-triumphant finale where the forces of (literary) enlightenment don’t win the fight. You can certainly argue that the defeat reinforces the “you, dear readers, are terrific!” message in showing what happens when the ignorant masses get their way. It’s not necessarily the conclusion we might have hoped for, but it is announced by somewhat austere cinematography that doesn’t miss a chance to show how damp and drafty the setting can be. The Bookshop is meant as a quiet and perhaps even contemplative film — don’t expect any big confrontations, as even the head-to-head arguments between characters are handled with quite a bit of British restraint. It may be manipulative, but it’s not an unpleasant watch: It plays a lot like a rainy-afternoon kind of book.