The Hours won awards for Nicole Kidman’s fake nose – and hearts as a queer classic
Michael Cunningham’s Pulitzer prize-winning book The Hours – inspired by Virginia Woolf’s seminal 1925 novel, Mrs Dalloway – imagines one day in the lives of three women separated across time periods.The triptych follows Woolf in the throes of writing Mrs Dalloway; Laura Brown, a depressed housewife who is reading Woolf’s novel in postwar America; and Clarissa Vaughan, a New Yorker who acts as a contemporary embodiment of Woolf’s titular character.Cunningham’s 1998 text, though widely acclaimed, was initially deemed unadaptable due to its nonlinear structure and stream-of-consciousness approach that paid homage to Woolf’s pioneering style.However, since its publication, The Hours (which takes its name from Mrs Dalloway’s working title), has been reinterpreted as an opera and, most notably, a 2002 film directed by Stephen Daldry.As the title suggests, the film explores the ways in which the routine of a single day can be at once beautiful in its ordinariness or seismic in its oppressive mundanity.
The three women at the film’s centre are just trying to make it through: Woolf (Nicole Kidman) is unable to cope with her personal responsibilities while plagued by a deep depression; Brown (Julianne Moore) is suffocating under domestic pressures while repressing her true desires; and Vaughan (Meryl Streep) neglects her own psychological needs while caring for her ex-lover who is dying of Aids.The women’s individual struggles become linked through their interweaving storylines, suggesting despite the progression of time and sociopolitical advancements, many women remain smothered by the restrictions and expectations of a heteronormative, patriarchal society and are burdened by the expectation to be a “wife” or “mother” before being a “person”.The film adaptation of The Hours is best remembered for securing an Academy Award for Nicole Kidman, who famously donned a prosthetic nose to transform into Woolf.Kidman’s win is often cited as an example of “de-glamming”, where an actor minimises their physical beauty in pursuit of awards glory.But accusations of The Hours as solipsistic “Oscar bait” is a disservice to both the film and Kidman’s brilliantly acidic performance.
Kidman, who made The Hours while going through her divorce from Tom Cruise, channels her personal pain into Woolf’s quiet despair and rage.As Woolf battles with suicidal ideation, Kidman balances the author’s anguish with fox-like intelligence.Moore and Streep, playing two women also on the verge of nervous breakdowns, deliver some of the best performances of their careers.Streep, who is actually mentioned by name in Cunningham’s novel, is mesmerising in the film’s climactic breakdown scene, remarkable in her physical and emotional vulnerability.The trio star alongside a murderers’ row of a supporting cast, including outstanding performances from Toni Collette, Ed Harris and Allison Janney.
Upon release, the film was critically acclaimed for its stellar cast and Philip Glass musical score,But it was the queer community who truly embraced The Hours – not only for its melodramatic tendencies (notably parodied in Kath & Kim), but for its sympathetic depiction of queer sexuality across the 20th century,The Hours acutely understands how the discovery of one’s queerness can be both terrifying and liberating,Each protagonist has their own unique relationship to queerness, and a sexual encounter for each threatens to unravel their understanding of themselves,For Woolf and Brown, their queerness unveils the promise of a different life, free from the inertia of a domestic prison.
For Vaughan – an openly partnered lesbian in love with her gay ex-lover – a shared kiss reopens old wounds and forces her to confront buried feelings.The way time and structure are played with is also explicitly queer.The film’s non-sequential structure, inspired by Woolf’s norm-breaking writing technique, bucks convention, highlighting the ways queerness is rooted not only in shared history but a history that disrupts and distorts traditional, linear, “straight” storytelling.The Hours is available to rent in Australia, the UK and the US.For more recommendations of what to stream in Australia, click here
UK consumer confidence falls as people get ‘the jitters’; BP’s new chair suffers investor revolt – business live
Breaking: UK consumer confidence has fallen for the third month in a row, as people grow more nervous about their personal financial situation and the economy.Data provider GfK’s Consumer Confidence Barometer, just released, has fallen by four points to -25 in April, the biggest drop in a year.That’s the lowest level since autumn 2023, indicating that the disruption and high energy prices caused by the Iran war is alarming consumers.When asked about the UK economy, the measure for the country’s general economic situation over the last 12 months decreased by eight points to -51. Expectations for the general economic situation over the coming 12 months fell by six points to -43, GfK reports
American Airlines says soaring price of jet fuel will cost it $4bn this year
The soaring price of jet fuel will cost American Airlines another $4bn this year, the carrier has said, wiping out forecast profits.The airline, the world’s largest by passengers flown, said that the fuel crisis from the US-Israel war on Iran could push it into losses during 2026, having forecast profits approaching $1.8bn before bombing started.The price of jet fuel has more than doubled since the conflict began at the end of February. While many European airlines have hedged their fuel, locking in a purchase price for months or years ahead, American carriers have been exposed to the price rises
Private health records of half a million Britons offered for sale on Chinese website
The confidential health records of half a million British volunteers have been offered for sale on Chinese website Alibaba, the UK government has confirmed.The data, belonging to participants in the UK Biobank project, was found for sale on three separate listings last week. The records have now been removed and it is not believed any sales were made.The latest breach comes after the Guardian revealed last month that UK Biobank data had been exposed online dozens of times and will raise further questions about whether security has been too lax.Ian Murray, the technology minister, told the Commons: “On Monday 20 April, the UK Biobank charity informed the government that it had identified their data had been advertised for sale by several sellers on Alibaba’s e-commerce platforms in China
Some Interrail travellers told to cancel passports as hacked data posted online
Holidaymakers across Europe are facing the stress and expense of getting new passports after their personal data was posted on the dark web after a hack of the Interrail company Eurail.Personal data, including passport numbers, names, phone numbers, email and home addresses and dates of birth of more than 300,000 European travellers was accessed in December. But this week Eurail revealed to customers that “data copied during the security incident has been offered for sale on the dark web and a sample dataset has been published on Telegram”.The announcement has led to renewed anger and confusion. The UK Passport Office has told at least one customer they needed to “cancel their passport to prevent it being used for fraudulent activity”, with the Home Office agency also indicating they needed to pay the full £102 fee for a replacement
Sportradar’s share price falls after reports claim it had links to hundreds of illegal gambling sites
The betting and data company Sportradar has relationships with hundreds of illegal gambling operators including several that appear to operate in Iran and Russian-occupied Crimea, a new report alleges.A study compiled by the financial analysts Callisto Research claims to have identified more than 270 unlicensed betting companies offering a variety of services including sports betting, virtual gaming and crypto casinos that purport to be products of Sportradar, whose branding and tools are visible on many of their websites. Callisto Research is an activist research firm that has disclosed short selling Sportradar stock after releasing its report.Sportradar AG is listed on the Nasdaq and its share price dropped as much as 30% following the publication of Callisto’s report on Wednesday, before closing the day 23% down on the start of trading.Sportradar makes its money from distribution deals that enable it to both service and police the gambling industry
‘Worth a thousand words’: Trump photo obscuring women’s tennis team sparks backlash
A White House photo celebrating a champion women’s sports team has drawn backlash due to the positioning of Donald Trump and a group of men, who overshadowed the female athletes by lining up in front of them.The University of Georgia women’s tennis team was one of several collegiate teams to visit the White House on Tuesday to mark a recent NCAA championship win. In a photo shared by press aide Margo Martin, Donald Trump and five Georgia staffers and coaches took up the front row of a stage setup, with 11 women standing in the background on a riser.The men standing alongside Trump were, from left to right: Georgia deputy athletic director Ford Williams, athletic director Josh Brooks, head coach Drake Bernstein, associate head coach Jarryd Chaplin and assistant coach Will Reynolds.“A photo is worth a thousand words …” former tennis star Martina Navratilova wrote on X
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