A Woman's Tale (1991)

TOMATOMETER

100%

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Critic Consensus: No consensus yet.

AUDIENCE SCORE

89%

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Movie Info

Australian director Paul Cox, skilled at intense psychological stories about lone souls looking for comfort in a cold world, was at his best with this original script co-written by the director and Barry Dickins. Martha is a 78-year-old woman living out her final days. Not a maudlin tale of a lonely woman wasting away, A Woman's Tale focuses on a human who manages to maintain an amazing vitality in the face of death. She encourages her young nurse, Anna (Gosia Doborowolska), to use her flat for romantic trysts; she looks in on Billy (Norman Kayes), an elderly neighbor, and she resists attempts by her son Johanathan (Chris Haywood) to place her in a nursing home. Sheila Florance's performance as Martha is a marvel, especially given the art-imitates-life aspect of production: Florance was terminally ill, and she died soon after she was nominated for the Best Actress Award for Australia's Academy Awards.

Cast

Sheila Florance
as Martha
Gosia Dobrowolska
as Anna
Norman Kaye
as Billy
Chris Haywood
as Jonathan
Ernest Gray
as Peter
Myrtle Woods
as Miss Inchley
Bruce Myles
as Con 1
Alex Menglet
as 2nd Con
François Bernard
as Neighbor
Manuel Bachet
as Neighbor
Monica Maughan
as Billy's daughter
Max Gillies
as Billy's son-in-law
Tony Llewellyn-Jones
as Celebrant
David Reid
as Don
Victoria Eagger
as 1st Nurse
Dawn Klingberg
as Don's wife
Marina Finlay
as Rachael
Victoria Eager
as 1st Nurse
Marion Heathfield
as 2nd Nurse
James Khong
as Doctor
Melita Jurisic
as Judy
Kate Fewster
as Young Martha
Carla Hoogeveen
as Waitress
Nino Gaetano Martinetti
as Cafe Manager
Veronica Koca
as Young girl
Kyra Cox
as Young Girl
Hal Todd
as Hal Todd
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Critic Reviews for A Woman's Tale

All Critics (6) | Top Critics (1)

Yet in the end, A Woman's Tale is the gentlest and most uplifting of films.

Jun 4, 2018 | Full Review…
Hartford Courant

It's a special film, never maudlin or anything but honest, about facing adversity and doing it with courage and dignity.

Aug 27, 2007 | Rating: A | Full Review…
Ozus' World Movie Reviews

Australian director Paul Cox has made a brave, bold, and life-affirming film about what Cicero called "our play's last act."

Jul 12, 2003 | Full Review…
Spirituality and Practice
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