Swann (1996)

Swann (1996) is a cerebral piece of filmmaking about poetry, but thanks to the ever lyrical Miranda Richardson this verse gets a bit ribald at points. In rural Canada, Mary Swann was a little-know but beloved poet. Not everyone was a fan, as her husband axed the scribbler to death. Now old friend Brenda Fricker manages her estate. Enter Miranda, playing a successful novelist who wants to write a book about the dead poet. There seems to be more than meets the eye to the purple-prose writer, but when it comes to Miranda, what you see is what you get. And viewers get a glimpse at Miranda’s ripe sonnets as she wiggles under some horny Shakespearean quill. Now that’s inspiring prose!