Have you read the book? *Awkward silence*... A Jane Eyre Review

Confession: I've never read Jane Eyre. This is pretty strange, when you consider that my mother owns six copies of the book itself as well at least three different Charlotte Bronte biographies (did i say three? I meant five). The thought of going to see the latest dramatisation starring Mia Wasikowska, without reading the book first, made me feel slightly inadequate and a bit like I was betraying the family bookshelf. Plus, how would I join in with the post-movie chatter without being able to groan "that didn't happen in it the book", or "Charlotte Bronte would be rolling over in her grave"? Still, I ventured out to the cinema last night with the Bronte-crazed mother as well as my intellectual inferiority complex. And once I got over my frustration at not being able to understand everything about the plot, I absolutely loved it.

The movie opens with Jane (Mia Wasikowska) running through the rain, sobbing, until she ends up being taken in and nursed back to health by a man and his two sisters. When asked her name, she answers "Jane Elliot". For those of us who haven't read the book, an understanding of why she lies won't come until much later in the movie. Disturbing flashbacks detail Jane's early childhood and schooling, and then a much longer flashback shows Jane working as a governess for the handsome, challenging and somewhat mysterious Mr Rochester (Michael Fassbender). All this time-traveling is initially a bit confusing, but once the movie gets going it becomes easier to understand what's happening. The mystery of why Jane ran away slowly unravels as the love story develops, and soon enough it all makes sense.

Mia Wasikowska is brilliant as Jane. She looks quite different to how she's been in other movies and on the red carpet: much less glamorous ("that's how Jane is meant to be!" my mother insists). She portrays a powerful mixture of restraint and passion throughout the movie. Her acting is particularly impressive in the final scenes- some of her lines were said with such intensity that I found myself thinking I want to read that in the book! Now! The parts of the movie that were slightly unexplained are actually a good thing, as presumably it means that viewers will be treated to more than a reiteration of the movie plotline if they choose to read the book.

This is one of those movies that you think about for the entire day after you've seen it, pondering the actions and emotions of characters that really, you only knew for a few hours. All in all, this was definitely worth the bruised ego that comes with an 'I haven't read that classic novel' meltdown.