The Seagull, based on the play by Anton Chekhov - 9.7 out of 10

The Seagull, based on the play by Anton Chekhov 
9.7 out of 10


The most recent, remarkable adaptation of The Seagull, from 2018, benefits from a tremendous cast, led by the glorious Annette Bening as Irina, with the established Saoirse Ronan as Nina, Corey Stoll as Boris, Billy Howle as Konstantin and Brian Dennehy as the patriarch Sorin, among others.

This phenomenal play is a meditation on art, the theater, artists and their role, the writer and his inspiration or lack thereof, love and its obscure ways:
The teacher loves Masha aka Elisabeth Moss, who loves Konstantin, enamoured of Nina who would fall for Boris, the latter used to fancy Irina, but atone stage, he is infatuated with Nina.

The most modest seems to be the teacher, though Masha does not respond to his feelings, she still thinks she might marry him, for her love for Konstantin is destined to be unrewarding...she is scolded by the man who loves her, who states that she should be content, she has food on the table, a roof over the had.
Like in most Russian masterpieces, many if not all the characters are sad, often, if not always gloomy and meditative, contemplating one disaster or another, although Nina is happy in the beginning as the girlfriend of Konstantin.

This young man is a writer and one of his plays is performed in the garden, with family and friends in the audience, up to the point where the inattentive, careless Irina, his mother, demonstrates her total lack of interest in the work of her son, alas, an indication of her disinterest in him...she would declare at one point that she has never read anything written by him, for 'who has the time'.

Irina is very keen on Boris though, this why she had brought him to this mansion by the lake, where Nina is admiring and expresses her enthusiasm for his writing- at one stage, Irina would assure him he is the greatest writer of Russia.
Indeed, Boris takes notes...on Masha: 'always in black, loves the playwright, drinks vodka' she would say to him later that all women, or most of them drink, she just does it without hiding, while they pretend not to indulge.

Irina seems to be self indulgent, arrogant, miser and selfish, although she thinks her performances as an actress help the world, in the meantime her son's play is 'supposed to be high art', but she thinks nothing of it, she doesn't even bother to be patient and allow it to end.

She might have a point when she says that her work makes her younger- one of the secrets of longevity discovered on the island of Okinawa relates to Ikigai, a philosophy of working into very old age, never retiring- in fact, they don't have that notion there.

Irina has a confrontation with the manager of the estate, when she asks for horses and he tells her this is not possible and when she insists, he declares that he would resign.
Meanwhile, Konstantin shoots a Seagull, anticipating an attempt to commit suicide.

Boris declares that his ultimate wish and pleasure is to go at the lake and fish...he is escorted by Nina, and while they take the boat, the girl is impressed by the writer she had already admired, who stops to put down an idea:

A short story would be about a young woman, who lives happily near the lake and this man comes around.
Obviously in reference to Nina and the writer himself.

Boris would be challenged to a duel by Konstantin, who has seen what is going on between the girl he loves and this infatuated man from the city.
Furthermore, he tries to bring his mother to acknowledge the flawed character of the one she considers her lover, who flirts with Nina and has no loyalty.

In fact, Boris would face Irina and state repeatedly that he wants his freedom and his partner to 'let me go'.

'Let me go...I know you are capable of sacrifice...let me go! It could be my last chance'

Nina would give Boris a note and say that she would like a couple of minutes in the solarium.
The note sends the man to a quote:

'If you ever need my life, come and take it'

The young woman thinks she should toss a coin for her future.
To see if she should try to become an actress.

Eventually, with extreme intensity, she would repeat in desperation:

'I am The Seagull...I am The Seagull' 

A splendid drama,not appreciated by critics on the whole, but otherwise jubilant, even if tragic.