MISS JULIE

Miss Julie is a serious, well-acted drama about class struggle, illicit desire, and the emotional damage caused by relationships outside marriage. Saffron Burrows, Peter Mullan, and Maria Doyle Kennedy deliver outstanding performances, and the film presents difficult moral questions.

But the experience is relentlessly bleak. The visuals are depressing, the sexual material is objectionable, the content includes a depicted rape without nudity, and the story offers no true redemption to its troubled characters. Its treatment of the Christian Gospel is especially troubling because it leaves Julie believing that her wealth excludes her from salvation.

This is not a family movie or a satisfying theatrical outing. If the subject interests you, wait to watch at home, and only as a discerning adult.

In the summer of 1894, Julie, the daughter of a wealthy count, enters the basement kitchen of her family’s estate while her father is away. There she encounters Jean, her father’s footman, and Christine, the kitchen maid who is supposedly engaged to him.

Julie’s arrogance and Jean’s resentment of the upper class create an uneasy attraction. As their conversation turns into a dangerous game of power and desire, the boundaries between master and servant begin to collapse.

Two stars means the film has real strengths but limited overall appeal. The performances by Saffron Burrows, Peter Mullan, and Maria Doyle Kennedy are outstanding, and the screenplay is well written. The direction is reasonably good, including a split-screen technique used during a pivotal sexual encounter.

Still, the movie’s depressing visuals and hopeless ending make it difficult to enjoy. Its emotional torture is intense, but the film fails to generate much sympathy for Julie. The result is a serious drama that is well acted and competently made, yet not uplifting or broadly entertaining.

Miss Julie presents a largely humanistic worldview with pagan elements. It explores class struggle, resentment, pride, and relationships outside marriage, but it does not offer meaningful redemption to its two illicit lovers. Human desire and social position dominate the story, while hope in God is misunderstood and ultimately obscured.

Christine does discuss the Christian Gospel. She explains that God is not a respecter of persons, that all have sinned, and that Christ’s shed blood provides redemption. But she then tells Julie that it is easier for a camel to pass through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Julie is left believing that her wealth makes salvation impossible.

That conclusion distorts the biblical message. Scripture says, “For all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God” (Romans 3:23). Salvation is not restricted to one social class; “with God all things are possible” (Matthew 19:26).

Miss Julie has strong performances and a thoughtful script, but its bleak visuals, objectionable sexual content, and distorted treatment of salvation make it unsuitable for family viewing. For discerning adults who remain interested, WAIT FOR HOME — ADULTS ONLY. For other choices, see.