My 150 Favorite Movies - #85

My Brilliant Career (1979)

This lovely little bauble of a  movie, based on the novel of the same name by Miles Franklin, marked one of  the first appearances on film of one of the screen's most enduring actresses, Judy Davis. Playing a single-minded young woman bent on having a career as a writer in 19th century Australia, Davis won the BAFTA award twice, for Best  Newcomer, and Best Actress. Gillian Armstrong directed, and Sam Neill also stars, as Davis's erstwhile love interest. Well worth seeking out for the effervescent lead performance as well as the poignant and involving way this story was captured on film.