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PEOPLE & ARTS A31
Thursday 14 January 2016

Review: Maggie Smith in her wheel house in ‘Lady in the Van’

JAKE COYLE a nun, as well as an old sin British actress Dame Maggie Smith in London, Wednesday, Dec. 16, 2015. Smith has shed her
AP Film Writer that haunts her. “Downton Abbey”-era corsets and hats to play an eccentric elderly vagrant in the film “The Lady
There are cozy, innocu- In short, Shepherd’s iras- in the Van”, in which Smith plays Miss Shepherd, a real-life homeless woman who parked in the
ous pleasures to Nicholas cible peculiarities are tai- driveway of writer Alan Bennett’s London house, and stayed for 15 years.
Hytner’s adaption of Alan lor made for Smith, who’s
Bennett’s “The Lady in the given all manner of things (AP Photo/Kirsty Wigglesworth)
Van,” but chief among at which to disgustfully
them is watching two grand wiggle her nose — the part of “The Lady in the ing.” The film was even shot few false notes in the stur-
old talents — Maggie Smith trademark power of Smith’s Van,” too. He has split him- on location, on Bennett’s dy, pleasantly entertain-
and Bennett, himself — op- that’s no less potent as a self into two (both played actual driveway. ing “The Lady in the Van.” It
erating firmly in their self- foul homeless woman than by Alex Jennings): “The It’s all a very twee setup unfolds as an investigation
created wheel houses. as the dignified dowager writer is double,” he nar- and not exactly the sort of into Shepherd’s unexpect-
Smith plays the ornery va- of “Downton Abbey.” She rates. “There is the self who thing that sets the world ed past and a reflection on
grant Mary Shepherd who can condescend, magnifi- does the writing. And there ablaze. But at least until Bennett’s own motivations
one day turns up in her cently, from any height. is the self who does the liv- the fanciful finale, there are as a writer.q
dilapidated van on the Smith played the role be-
playwright’s North London fore in the 1999 play “The
block, where she stub- Lady in the Van,” which
bornly remains for 15 years. was also directed by Hyt-
After taking squalid turns ner, a regular hand of Ben-
parked in front of different nett movie adaptations
neighbors, she’s allowed (“The History Boys,” ‘’The
by Bennett to settle in the Madness of King George”).
driveway to his townhouse. But the play wasn’t the start
She’s a mysterious and of “The Lady in the Van.” It
cantankerous figure. Shar- comes from Bennett’s own
ing her name with few, she life. The story is mostly true:
explains that she’s “in an in- Shepherd really did turn
cognito position, possibly.” up on Bennett’s Camden
When not impinging on block, like a pre-packaged
Bennett for a visit to the lav- story for the playwright. He
atory, she chases singing wrote about her first as di-
school children, paints her ary entries for the London
rundown van yellow and Review of Books, then as a
skulks around, a cranky ball short memoir.
of rags and plastic bags. Bennett turning the experi-
There are hints of a past as ence into art is a central

Review: Forgettable horror ‘The Forest’ wastes star Dormer

This photo provided by Gramercy Pictures shows, Natalie Dormer, left, as Sara Price, and Taylor The story starts when Sara closer she gets. There some
Kinney as Aiden in Jason Zada’s “The Forest,” a Gramercy Pictures release. (Natalie Dormer), a young, elderly Japanese women
wealthy professional living around to warn her not to
(James Dittiger/Gramercy Pictures via AP) with a blandly handsome go into the forest, too — it’s
husband (Eoin Macken), haunted by the spirits of the
LINDSEY BAHR to catch up on the glut woods where people go to discovers that her expat dead, she’s too sad, and
AP Film Writer of prestige offerings and kill themselves, is not one of twin sister has disappeared it’s too dangerous.
The January movie has awards hopefuls that hit them. in a forest in Japan. This Thankfully that night at the
long had a reputation for at the end of December. It’s rife with unbearable isn’t any forest, though. It’s bar, she meets a hand-
Aokigahara, also known as some American travel
being among the worst There are always excep- dialogue, cheap jump the suicide forest. Everyone writer from Australia, Aiden
she talks to assures her that (Taylor Kinney) who offers
that Hollywood has to of- tions of course, but unfortu- scares, and far too familiar her sister is definitely dead to let her accompany him
fer, as though everyone nately “The Forest,” a rotten imagery which makes the by now. But Sara knows and a park ranger, Michi
collectively acknowledges horror film about twin sisters whole experience instantly better. In “The Forest” be- (Yukiyoshi Ozawa) into the
ing a twin means that you forest. Michi does “off the
that they need a month and the spooky Japanese forgettable. have a spidey sense that books” treks through the
your other half is around woods to try to save peo-
and living. There’s a buzz, ple from killing themselves.
or something, and one time And, of course, there things
when Jess (also played by go crazy, especially after
Dormer) took too many Sara decides to stay over-
pills, the hum stopped. night. This forest apparently
That’s Sara knew some- really is popular among sui-
thing was wrong and knew cidal people — so much so
to call the police to check that there’s a sign at the
on her. Fine, whatever. entrance urging visitors to
So Sara hops on a plane to think of their families. That
Japan to search for Jess in fact on its own is truly hor-
the spooky suicide forest. rifying and possibly worthy
Her dreams and eventu- of a cinematic interpreta-
ally visions get creepier the tion of why that is.q