‘Firebrand’: Cannes Review

Dir: Karim Ainouz. UK. 2023. 121 mins.

King Henry VIII’s final wife steps into the spotlight for Firebrand, a slow burn drama that fails to generate much heat. Alicia Vikander is meticulously restrained as Katherine Parr, who engages in a subtle battle of wills with her temperamental husband, played by an enjoyably odious Jude Law. Brazilian director Karim Ainouz’s English-language debut has a sumptuous look and a quietly escalating sense of tension once Parr recognises the ground shifting beneath her feet. But the sombre approach tends to be a little too studied, failing to capture the drama of a queen who dared defy her husband, and, unlike her predecessors, survived his tyranny without losing her crown – or her head.

 This queen remains a bit opaque, her inner life never brought into sharp focus.

Firebrand represents the sixth time that Ainouz has been part of the Cannes line-up, although this is his debut in Competition. The film’s palace intrigue will make this an attractive proposition for buyers, as will the presence of stars Vikander and Law. Adapted from Elizabeth Fremantle’s 2012 novel Queen’s Gambit, Firebrand could strike a chord among more general audiences.

The picture takes place in the 1540s as Katherine (Vikander) enjoys her life as queen, although she’s constantly cognisant of the fact that her husband King Henry VIII’s (Jude Law) first five wives suffered at his hand, with two beheaded on his orders. Still, Katherine is independent, inspired by her radical reformist friend Anne (Erin Doherty) to consider ways in which the kingdom could be a freer, better society. Henry’s health is failing due to a horrendous infection on his leg, and his closest associates, including Bishop Gardiner (renowned British stage actor Simon Russell Beale), suspect his death may come soon. However the dying king becomes fixated on a suspicion that his wife is disloyal, putting her life in danger.

Assisted by Dickon Hinchliffe’s sweeping orchestral score and Hélène Louvart’s richly atmospheric cinematography, Ainouz has fashioned a film that takes liberties with the actual events but isn’t a bold reinvention of the period costume drama. In keeping with the film’s muted tone, Vikander offers a coolly intelligent turn that befits a character who has to be judicious in what she says around the palace. Katherine doesn’t do a lot of outward scheming, but as Firebrand moves along, at long last she will be able to exact her revenge on Henry, the moment proving quite satisfying, while also unexpected.

Unfortunately, Firebrand ends up undercutting the suspense, leaving viewers with a fairly straightforward drama about a king whose insecurity and paranoia terrorised all those around him. Law leans into Henry’s capricious demeanour, delivering a portrait of ego and gluttony unencumbered by any sense of shame. Proudly declaring himself “God’s deputy” and flaunting his willingness to flirt with other women around Katherine — “Are you jealous?,” he taunts her — Henry long ago became corrupted by power. But Law’s nicely showy performance doesn’t have much room to operate within Ainouz’s claustrophobic design. King Henry VIII may have ruled the land, but Firebrand hems him in.

As the king grows more ill, Gardiner advises him that, rather than simply killing Katherine, whom Henry knows is friends with Anne, they obtain proof of her desire to sow dissent within the kingdom. Thus begins a nefarious witch hunt to seal Katherine’s fate, and Firebrand can be chilling in its depiction of these men’s inexorable quest to find her guilty. Beale has fun being detestable as a religious leader who’s much more concerned with ensuring his own standing in the kingdom than in serving God’s will, although it’s the sort of character we’ve come to expect from some such films, whether based on true stories or not. 

It’s hardly a spoiler to note that, unlike King Henry VIII’s previous wives, Katherine Parr outlived her husband and never lost her crown. The picture serves as a tribute to her courage and resilience — as well as an ironic reminder that popular culture remembers less about her than the spouses that came before. And yet, Firebrand doesn’t present a particularly compelling case for what made her such an indomitable figure. As sympathetic as Vikander is in the role, this queen remains a bit opaque, her inner life never brought into sharp focus. Katherine may have survived, but she’s still not fully known.