Ammonite

Among the obstacles conspiring against a blossoming lesbian romance in Ammonite, maybe the oppressive seaside setting — along the dreary shores of 1840s Lyme — is the most daunting.

Eschewing the trappings of a stuffy period piece, this evocative and bittersweet drama is a deliberately paced yet deeply felt examination of gender politics and repressed desires.

Mary (Kate Winslet) is a geologist who remains stoically committed to her painstaking work, combing the seaside for specimens while living alongside her widowed mother (Gemma Jones).

At first, she’s not moved by the arrival of Charlotte (Saoirse Ronan), who visits Mary’s storefront with her affluent paleontologist husband, Roderick (James McArdle). Charlotte has been sent to Lyme to convalesce while he prepares for a weeks-long archaeological expedition.

Roderick makes a deal with Mary to look after Charlotte while he’s gone. The spark between the two is initially muted, as the emotionally withdrawn Mary lets her guard down, reluctantly at first. They bond in part over a shared malaise and melancholia, although only Charlotte has been formally diagnosed with such an affliction.

Later, a rare smile kicks their affair into high gear, hours after their joint excavation of a small fossil on a rocky beach. After so much nonverbal courtship, the opportunity to discard their corsets and consummate their romance feels cathartic, both for the women on screen but for moviegoers, too.

The character-driven screenplay by director Francis Lee (God’s Own Country) confidently takes its time on exposition of characters and setting yet rewards viewer patience with a richly textured exploration of forbidden love that can be frustrating, even if it smartly enables its two stars to shine.

Despite a real-life age difference of almost 20 years, Winslet and Ronan develop a convincing chemistry in a film noteworthy for its sparse dialogue throughout.

In particular, Winslet’s quietly powerful performance conveys myriad emotions through subtle glances and offhand gestures. Perhaps her perpetually foul mood is justified, given the slow and tedious nature of her work, her cold and gloomy surroundings, or her tough socioeconomic circumstances, yet Mary still generates hard-earned sympathy.

Just like its protagonists strive to defy cultural and societal expectations, Ammonite challenges audience assumptions with an undercurrent of thoughtful apprehension. For these ladies, it takes more than a final kiss to brighten the mood.

Rated R, 117 minutes.