Downton Abbey: A New Era (2022)
The period piece romantic drama sticks the landing in providing a sweet and gentle story of a close-knit family faced with varying circumstances, from cultural shifts, blossoming romances, to family revelations, and a looming death.
The second spin-off film of the British show Downton Abbey is a delightful showing that will surely excite ardent fans of the show, as well as new viewers who haven’t necessarily followed the show or the first film. Continuing from the events of the first film, the sequel offers an exciting new adventure for the residents of Downton.
The family of Dowager Countess (played expertly by Maggie Smith) are still reeling from the shock of finding out that she has inherited a French villa from a man she once knew back in her youth. There seems to be more to this supposed dalliance and her family, especially her son Robert (Hugh Bonneville), are really taken aback by this sudden mystery. At Robert’s insistence, the family eventually resolves to travel to the South of France to meet with the son (Jonathan Zaccaï) of this man who is gifting Dowager Countess a priceless villa.
While part of the family takes the blue train to the South of France, there’s a large contingent that stays behind in Downton for an adventure of their own. Mary (Michelle Dockery), the eldest granddaughter of Dowager Countess and Robert’s daughter, stays behind to oversee a film production shooting a film at their residence. This comes after Mary and the rest of the family accepted a request from a film production company which asked to make Downton its set, concluding that they needed the money to fix some dilapidation on the mansion’s roof.
This serves as an exciting event, particularly for the downstairs staff of cleaners, cooks and butlers, who are sent into a frenzy over the prospect of being in the midst of film stars. The event itself also illustrates an instance where the modern world, marked by film cameras and technological advancements, once again collides with the old-fashioned household of Downton.
In the south of France, there’s lots of drama as it becomes clear that the Dowager Countess meant a great deal to this mystery man passing down his villa to her — at the expense of his own wife and son. This prompts Robert to question exactly how much he knows of his own life regarding who his father is. There’s even more drama in Downton as the film crew brings in an eclectic ensemble of characters who all relate with the Downton residences uniquely. There’s romance blooming, tensions riding high as the production experiences transitional difficulties of moving from silent filming to “talkies” and there’s a looming feeling of death as the Dowager Countess continues to advance in age.
For a film set in the late 1920s, it’s no surprise that there is a lot of thematic emphasis on familial relations and community. The downstairs staff is part of the family, more than they are just employees. The family even travels with their long-serving butler to France, showing just how close all parties are. There’s a willingness to go above and beyond in helping out and being courteous, as seen by how welcoming the daily is welcomed by the son in France, as well as how Mary helps the film crew in Downton.
The two-hour run time flies by quickly as the simple yet rich and vast story elicit feelings of nostalgia, romantic emotions, laughter as well as gut-wrenching moments. Full of heart, Downton Abbey: A New Era is a worthy sequel that bookends a wonderful universe of one of the most iconic portrayals of historic British familial life.