I almost forgot how much I looveee this movie… I was able to watch it again today and, even though this was made in 1998, this contemporary adaptation of the Charles Dickens classic provides all of the sensual pain, passion, and feelings of empty success the storyline evokes. The story is structured and told in a beautiful way, as young Finn (played by Ethan Hawke) first introduces, “I’m not going to tell the story the way it happened. I’m going to tell it the way I remember it.”

This is a sort of “bildungsroman” type of story–one that depicts growth and personal development–and its adaptation heavily focuses on the seemingly spellbound attraction to the alluring Estella (played by Gwyneth Paltrow). This film really lies testament to the growth of an individual, turned self-taught artist who receives a mysterious benefactor supporting his work in New York. Its got that contemporary feel in an old-fashioned, classic type of romance. This one’s always been one of my favorites, so I hope this grabs you in some way. The music featured in the film matches the entire tone of it so well–its got an awesome look and feel and spellbinding nature to it… It reminds me also of why I first had a little crush on Ethan Hawke, hahahah