"Carrington" is the true story of the unusual love affair between two nonconformists in Victorian England: boyish painter Dora Carrington (Emma Thompson) and gay author Lytton Strachey (Jonathan Pryce). Carrington is a young English artist who is part of the Bloomsbury Group, a circle of bohemian British writers and artists that includes Virginia Woolf and E.M. Forster, when she meets Strachey in WWI England. Before meeting Carrington, Strachey inquires who the "ravishing boy" is and discovers that it's a woman. Surprised, he finds himself captivated by her, and they begin a 17-year relationship. Their first meetings and the strange attraction that would bind them for the rest of their lives are sketched out in the first few scenes. Although platonic due to Strachey's homosexuality, the passionate bond was nevertheless a deep and complicated one. Strachey is a quiet, dry witted, reserved writer in his 30s when he meets Carrington, who is 15 years younger and still a virgin. Having found her intellectual soul mate, she finds herself indulging in sex with many young attractive men to forget her love for the distinguished author, whose physical love she will never have.
When Carrington develops a more physical relationship with soldier Ralph Partridge (Steven Waddington), Strachey welcomes him as a friend, although Partridge remains somewhat uneasy, not so much with Strachey's lifestyle and sexual orientation as with the fact that he is a conscientious objector. Strachey and Carrington eventually move in together and have a series of offbeat sexual experiences with other members of the group and sometimes even with the same man. Carrington even marries another man, yet their relationship endures until Strachey's death years later.
This touching and intelligent film features excellent acting. Pryce was honored as Best Actor at the Cannes Film Festival for his performance. The music score of the film was composed by Michael Nyman, primarily based on his String Quartet No. 3. Christopher Hampton wrote the screenplay based on Michael Holroyd's book. Christopher Hampton also directed.
