Melissa gets revenge on the literary world
Can You Ever Forgive Me? is a bit of a marvel in a number of ways. The film has got a delicious premise, is set in the New York literary world of the past, and maintains the right kind of energy to be considered a near-perfect dramedy. But the true heart of Can You Ever Forgive Me? remains its main protagonist, a highly caustic woman battling financial instability who preys upon the emotions of innocent people as a means of self-preservation. Yet within the the film’s central figure lies a person so emotionally stunted and fragile that her ineptness towards society draws more pity than judgment. It’s not the easiest of main characters to build a movie around. And yet not only does Can You Forgive Me? construct itself around such an individual, but in doing so manages to explore a side of humanity most wouldn’t have imagined was there at all, leading to one of the most empathic and enriching film experiences of the year.
Based on a true story, Can You Ever Forgive Me? stars Melissa McCarthy as Lee Israel, a somewhat noteworthy semi-alcoholic biographer of famous figures who has fallen on hard times in 1980s New York. Unable to get an advance on her latest project, Lee struggles to keep her head above water as the bills keep piling up. When she discovers a signed letter by a famous author that she is able to sell for a sizable amount of cash, Lee gets an idea. Before she knows it, Lee is forging hand-written letters from prominent literary names in an effort to stay afloat. With gay drinking buddy/partner in crime John (Richard E. Grant) by her side, Lee continues on with her scheme for as long as she can, learning more about herself in the process than the people she’s imitating.
Can You Ever Forgive Me? is one of the rarest of film breeds that contains a somewhat exuberant flair mixed with the gentle intimacy of a quiet character study. Director Marielle Heller and writer Nicole Holofcener have both made careers out of taking seemingly ordinary individuals and placing them within worlds which cannot help but make for truly compelling narratives. Here, the pair have such ripe storytelling to work with. The dusty and faded mystique of the New York literary world is so richly explored here in both its main character (a woman who decides the only people she needs in her life are the famous figures she writes about) and the collectors who practically faint every time they think they’ve been given a precious artifact from the world they have given themselves to. For both sides, the letters, words, and thoughts serve as a celebration of sorts; literal documents of the magic and value from the minds who have shaped some of the most profound thoughts of the 20th century. For the collectors, it’s unearthing a honest to goodness treasure, while for Lee, it’s a sort of personal validation (as well as a means of support) signifying that she is virtually simpatico with the great literary minds of the past. For everyone, save John, the letters symbolize all that is meaningful and life-affirming about that specific world.
Even though the marketing of Can You Ever Forgive Me? doesn’t sell it as such, the movie is a striking addition to queer cinema. The film is set in the 1980s, when being gay wasn’t as fashionable as it is today. This is seen in the way Lee practically camouflages herself through her nondescript clothing and need to keep people at arm’s length. There’s a definite sadness about Lee, almost as if she’s never fully been able to embrace her sexuality, nor herself. Because of this, she keeps a wall built around her when it comes to other people. It’s a wall that she dares to chip away at when she meets a lovely bookseller also suffering from a bout of isolation (Dolly Wells) with whom the author finds herself taken. Although it’s an attraction Lee allows herself to pursue, she knows it will never come to pass thanks to the situation she’s placed herself in. Where Lee’s sexuality may have played a significant part in the way she awkwardly interacts with people, John’s allows him to be who he truly is. Constantly drinking, flashily dressed, and containing one acerbic sarcastic jab after another, John is the kind of flamboyant but charming vagabond who refuses to let life around him be anything other than his own personal masquerade ball. If Lee prefers to hide away from the world, John unapologetically walks into every room believing himself to be the most enticing and intriguing figure there. The common link between both of them remains the fact that Lee and John cannot deny the sense of fear regarding the future and what it means for two people like them.
There’s no question many will look at McCarthy’s participation in Can You Ever Forgive Me? as another comedy A-lister going dramatic in a bid for Oscar. But the actress’s work here is so much more than such speculation would lead audiences to believe. This is a portrait of a damaged soul whose emotional fractures and desperation are thoughtfully and perceptively explored by the actress portraying her. There’s a bare bones rawness to McCarthy’s work here, that puts forward a more grounded and poetic side to the actress. Providing one of the most stand out supporting turns of the year (and possibly the best work of his career) is Grant as the Mad Hatter-like John who uses word play and charisma to mask his own very human flaws. His work is so mesmerizing that it threatens to throw McCarthy right off the screen altogether. Both will no doubt be in the conversation this awards season, and most deservedly so.
It should be applauded and never once underestimated how important the fact that a movie like Can You Ever Forgive Me? exists today. Decades ago, a film such as this would have had too many factors working against it for it have ever been pushed onto the mainstream including a protagonist lacking in heroism, a pair of gay characters as the film’s leads, and a subject matter that most would assume could only ever resonate with a very niche crowd. Yet in 2018 Can You Ever Forgive Me? is being held up and spotlighted, not just for awards attention (which it will most certainly get), but also for the fact that it celebrates the social misfit; the outcast sporting very real flaws who goes against the grain, not just as a means of survival, but also as a way to leave their own special imprint on the world in which they belong to.
