Can You Ever Forgive Me? (2018)

Based on the memoir by Lee Israel, this film earned its two stars Oscar nominations for their performances, as well as a nomination for Best Adapted Screenplay, and tells the true story of one of the greatest forgery rackets in history.

Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy) is an author who has written several successful biographies of other celebrities, but now finds herself in a perpetual state of writers block. Her agent Marjorie (Jane Curtin) has almost given up hassling her for her latest manuscript, as Lee would much rather drink herself into a stupor than sit and write.

Sitting at a bar one afternoon, she meets another struggling artist, Jack Hock (Richard E. Grant), and the two strike up an acquaintance of sorts. They both share a similar self-deprecating sense of humour, and razor-sharp biting wit against other people, too.

Lee barely makes enough money each week to pay her rent, but when her cat - perhaps her closest friend - needs treatment at the vet which she cannot afford, she realises she needs to make money fast, any way she can.

Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy).

While researching for her latest biography, Lee discovers a hand-written note inside the pages of a library book, written by the very person she is writing about. She takes the note to a bookseller, who buys the note from her to sell to a collector as a wonderful piece of literary memorabilia.

Lee realises that with her own acerbic wit, she can write letters in the style of other historical celebrities, such as Noel Coward, and that by forging hand-written signatures at the bottom of these typed letters, she can make a lot of money in a very short space of time.

This starts her on a path of numerous forgeries, letters that she sells to collectors all across the city. It isn't long before Jack joins her in her endeavours, and the two begin to support their expensive lifestyles with their crimes.

The screenplay, by Nicole Holofcener and Jeff Whitty, and based on Israel's memoir, is incredibly well-written. The two main characters are so clearly defined and filled with conflicts both internal and external. Even the supporting characters - and there are a handful - are well-written. It is no surprise that the screenplay was nominated for an Academy Award, an award it sadly didn't win, though there can of course only be one winner each year.

Jack Hock (Richard E. Grant) and Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy).

Nate Heller's score is beautifully composed, and at no point does it distract the viewer from the story. The music is all so perfectly suited to the scenes in which it features that it simply becomes a part of the film as a whole, and is not especially noticeable at any point.

In a film set in a particular point in history, as this film is, things like production design and costume design help to transport the audience to the period and set the scene with true realism. Stephen H. Carter's production design, and Arjun Bhasin's costumes both achieve this aim with impeccable skill.

The cinematography by Brandon Trost is fantastic, with brilliant contrasts between light and dark throughout. There are some rather unique camera angles used in several scenes - decisions made between the cinematographer and the director - and these all work very well.

The performances of the cast are also magnificent. The absolute standout of this film is without a doubt Melissa McCarthy, who demonstrates that she is not only a brilliant comic performer - which any viewer of her previous films will be well aware of - but also a gifted dramatic actor.

Jack Hock (Richard E. Grant) and Lee Israel (Melissa McCarthy).

Director Marielle Heller has made an absolutely beautiful film, one that I found incredibly moving. I was not expecting to be as moved by this film as I was; I certainly was not expecting such a moving dramatic film to also be filled with moments of such cleverly written and performed comedy.

I would thoroughly recommend this film to anyone who is yet to see it, as my overall rating would indicate.

10 out of 10.