Anna Karenina – (2012)

This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at St. John's chapter and does not reflect the views of Her Campus.

Directed by: Joe Wright || A Movie Summary

By: Amelia-Rose Williams

When I first came upon this film, it was through social media, TikTok specifically. I had an “Aaron Taylor-Johnson phase” which, on social media, he is one of the more arguably “dreamier” actors currently. So I was getting a lot of edits and films of him on my feed; this film in particular stood out to me. I could never make complete sense of it, seeing as I was only getting clips of the film. However, I was extremely intrigued with what it entailed. So, I decided to watch the film myself, and I was extremely impressed, to say the least.

The storytelling and direction was impeccable, think of a puppet show come to life. The transitioning of sets was like watching a stage show, you know, when they move around the props to set a different scene? To further emphasize how unique the sets are, it is said in a Variety Article that they had no specific venue available for the film. Typically, films, TV shows, game shows, etc., all use a variety of interior, exterior, backlot, virtual, practical and specialized sets. Seeing as for this particular film, they had no specific venue or type of set in mind, it was very intriguing to read that they built theirs from scratch. It brings a whimsical, fun display when it comes to the typical methods of storytelling in film. Although the subject of Anna Karenina is “scandalous,” they found a way to make it satirical, which made the film even more engaging to watch.

The main characters that are seen repetitively throughout the film are: Anna Karenina, the wife of Alexei Karenin; played by Keira Knightley, Count Vronsky, love interest of both Anna Karenina and Kitty; played by Aaron Taylor-Johnson, Alexei Karenin, the husband of Anna Karenina; played by Jude Law, Oblonsky, the brother of Anna Karenina; played by Matthew Macfayden, Kitty Shcherbatsky, sister-in-law and friend of Anna, as well as the love interest of Konstantin Dmitri Levin; played by Alicia Vikander, Konstantin Dmitri Levin, Kitty’s lover and friend of Oblonsky; played by Domhall Gleeson. Joe Wright, the director of the film, sets the scene, taking place in late 19th-century Russia. The film opens with Oblonsky’s presumably long-standing affair with his children’s governess, and he writes to his sister Anna, asking for help in making peace with his wife, Dolly a.k.a Darya Alexandrovna Oblonsky was immediately distraught after she had found out about the affair, as well as Anna’s husband, Alexei Karenin. 

Regardless, Anna took it upon herself to visit her brother and help make amends with his wife. The importance of an opening scene in a movie is extremely valuable for arguably many reasons; it sets the scene for the setting of the film, but it also gives insight into the topics that may be covered throughout the film. Seeing as Anna Karenina covers adultery, the irony of this scene becomes extremely vital by the end of the movie. Although Anna had gone to see her brother to make amends with his wife on her behalf, it should be noted that she was against the affair and his actions; regardless, she did it out of the kindness of her heart. Anna later in the film tackles adultery head-on herself, once she meets Count Vronsky. She tackles her own morals while trying to come to terms with her feelings. 

However, recalling back to the time period in which the film takes place, it’s important to note that female adulterers were held in a much higher regard for damnation among society than men. You could even argue that this is still very relevant today. Women are still often looked at as “lacking virtue” when they commit the same act as men. They become cast out and shunned in society, and eventually, the weight and the pressure of watchful judgmental eyes become all too much, and as seen in the film, they eventually give in to the pressure. Referring back to the beginning of everything I’ve written thus far, the director of the film, Joe Wright, puts on a wonderful display of what is arguably a “taboo” topic and displays it as satirical yet dramatic. I found myself sympathizing with Anna, which, normally, when the topic of adultery is spoken about, I immediately align myself with the person who had no idea that infidelity was taking place. I suppose the majority of where that sympathy came from was how, when women commit by society’s standards “heinous” and “unforgivable” acts, they are met with looks of disgust and are shunned. Anna Karenina is a film I would recommend anyone to watch and embark on the storytelling themselves, and come up with their own thoughts on how they felt about the presentation. I would definitely watch this film again.