W.E.

• Director: Madonna
• Screenwriter/Written By: Alek Keshishian, Madonna
• Producer: Kris Thykier, Madonna
• Starring: Abbie Cornish, Andrea Riseborough, James D’Arcy
• Running Time: 119 mins.
• Language: English
• Rating: R

People all over the world are fascinated with the royal family, and their stories have long been the subject of movies, TV shows, and documentaries. W.E. chronicles the historical love affair of Edward VIII (Prince of Wales) and Wallis Simpson, a married, American woman and the scandal that ensues. W.E. also happens to be the directorial debut for pop icon, Madonna.

 Abbie Cornish (Limitless, Bright Star) plays Wally Winthrop, the wife of William Winthrop (Richard Coyle), a successful New York doctor. Wally is the supportive wife who has given up her own aspirations at the request of her controlling husband. Wally is desperately trying to reconnect with William in an effort to save her troubled marriage. Even in the midst of her marital woes, Wally is determined to have William’s child—but is unable to become pregnant. With William often absent, She seeks solace at an auction house viewing the effects that once belonged to Wallis Simpson (Andrea Riseborough) and befriends a security guard, Evgeni (Oscar Isaac). Wally visits the auction house daily becoming obsessed with the woman she was named after and the royal love affair that began nearly sixty years ago, all while Evgeni attempts to learn more about the mysterious Wally.

 Wallis Simpson, already on her second marriage, is propelled into England’s high society and finds herself rubbing elbows with the likes of Edward, The Prince of Wales, played by James D’Arcy (Master and Commander). Wallis is seduced by her newfound social status growing noticeably close to Edward. It’s not long before the relationship is in full blossom and Wallis leaves her husband, Ernest Simpson (David Harbour). As the public relationship develops, Edward is soon faced with making a decision: remaining with Wallis, the love of his life, or renouncing his throne.

 Though decades apart, Wally’s and Wallis’ storylines are creatively intertwined with Wally’s moments of daydreaming delivering historical flashbacks. It becomes evident that the two women have much more than a similar name in common. Both women sacrificed their own needs for the men they loved and found themselves at a crossroad in respect to their own relationships.

 W.E.’s layered storyline delivers two kindred plots and manages to successfully intertwine them into one dynamic story. Both, Cornish and Riseborough (Happy-Go-Lucky), give incredible performances in their respective roles along with an equally talented supporting cast. Cinematography and high fashion further adds to the W.E. experience as valuable characters of their own.

 W.E. had the potential to be a bland period piece documenting a scandalous love affair that unnerved much of England. Instead, Madonna and her ensemble cast delivered a passionate love story demanding an empathetic response from its audience. She could have inundated the audience with her name in the opening credits soliciting for its success, but instead, she remained in the background until the end letting the movie stand on its own merit.