Title: Fingersmith (2005)
Director: Aisling Walsh
Actors: Elaine Cassidy, Sally Hawkins, Imelda Staunton, Rupert Evans, a.o.
Runtime: 181 Min. (mini-series)

Wow! All I can say is: Wow! What a damned good mini-series this is! This is top-notch quality; a mini-series only BBC can make! It blew me away completely. And this review definitely will not do this beautiful project or any of the actors justice. There is so much to be said about this and the following is only the tip of the iceberg.

The story is quite complicated and I’m going to have a lot of trouble when summarising it, because of the fantastic plot twists. I’m going to try it anyway. Goddess, help me!

Sue Trinder, a beautiful role by Sally Hawkins, is being persuaded by a man, called ‘Gentleman’, to help him with an evil plot. The plan is to marry a rich girl, Maud, who will inherit money (40.000 pounds) when she marries. Her uncle, however, keeps her on a tight leash and it will be difficult to persuade her.

This is where Sue comes in. She is to become her maid and help him persuade Maud. Sue is not sure whether she can do it at first, but then agree to it for 3000 pounds. She has to learn how to become a maid, since she is a clever little finger smith living at Lant Street. A very cute montage shows her learning how dress and undress Maud, which in this case is a chair. She has to learn how to curtsey, etc. When she’s ready she goes off to Briar, which is where Maud lives.

Maud seems, at first, to be a very odd and naïve girl. She came to live with her uncle at Briar at the age of ten and has never left the place since. She has no idea what goes on in the outside world. She has been trained to be her uncle’s secretary and helps him with a catalogue he is putting together. He is a very unpleasant man and takes his books very seriously. Maud has to wear gloves all the time and the room they work in is very dark, so sunlight won’t spoil the books. Servants are kept from coming too close to the books by means of a brass plate with a finger on it on the floor. If they step over it there is hell to pay.

The girls soon befriend each other, after an awkward start and eventually they even fall in love. Sue is now torn between the evil plot and her love for Maud. She soon finds out there is more to the story than she bargained for.

This is one of the yummiest stories I have ever came across. It’s a rollercoaster of emotions. It makes you laugh, cry and even angry. It’s got a real Victorian period feel to it; it could have been a Charles Dickens story. It’s got all the plot twists and the drama, the back-stabbing and the two-facedness, the lower-class thieves and the upper-class. If you are a fan of plot twists and things turning out to be different than they at first seemed, this is the story for you!

Everything is spot on: from costumes to locations (cold and heartless Briar vs. vibrant and ebullient London), from the drama to the funny moments and, of course, the casting. Maud is portrayed perfectly by the Irish beauty: Elaine Cassidy. Unfortunately, she does not use her real Irish accent in this project (although in some scenes you can hear her slip back into it). She plays Maud with a mix of naivety and worldliness. She is strong and breakable at the same time. Same goes for Sally Hawkins, who is simply adorable. She makes you fall in love with Sue, even though she, of course, is not an innocent character, at all. One look of Sally’s is enough to know what Sue is going through. She shows Sue’s doubt and inner struggle as she is about to betray the love of her life. She shows Sue’s desperation, when Gentleman reminds her she will be hanged, once they find out what she came there to do. Rupert Evans is cast wonderfully as Gentleman a.k.a. Mr. Rivers. He is the perfect villain; the man who keeps ruining beautiful moments between the two girls, but you love him for it. He does it so well!

It’s been a while, since a story has grabbed me like this story has. It haunted me and still haunts me about two weeks or so after the first viewing. I have also begun reading the novel and am now halfway through it. (A review of it will be posted too.) It is an absolute treat and that is why I give it a 9.5/10. Go see it! Now!

P.S. I think I’ve found two more actresses to obsess about.