Review of Maurice, directed by James Ivory

At the time of writing this, in late winter of 2024, I find myself watching a lot of movies. I’m about to turn 24 and graduate with my master’s degree, which means there is a lot of change coming my way in the years to come. I had no idea what was going to happen to my future and the people in it, so I turned to movies.

Movies are something that stay pretty consistent. Sometimes, even, when they’re in a certain genre you can predict most of the plot points that come your way. There are some movies that pleasantly surprise you though, and I decided to watch Maurice on a whim, despite having never heard of it before.

I was scrolling through Kanopy at this point in search of something, anything, to keep me entertained and watch. So maybe it was an act of desperation as well. But, in the end, I was glad I watched this movie!

Let’s get into the review.

The story of Maurice’s coming-of-age as he realizes his sexuality and desires.

We begin this story in childhood, when Maurice, then 11, is told about sex by his teacher. They’re on a school trip to a beach, and it seems like a weird place to go and give that advice, but the teacher does it anyways. Turns out Maurice doesn’t have a father, and the teacher wants to act in a father-like role to him right now.

The timeline then skips to his college years. Maurice is attending the University of Cambridge, where he makes many new friends, including Viscount Risley, who comes from aristocrats, and a wealthy boy named Clive. But, as it turns out, Clive becomes smitten with Maurice and confesses how he feels, despite the year being 1909 and gayness a taboo.

So of course Maurice, who is conditioned in heterosexuality, is horrified by this confession. But with time, he realizes he has the same feelings as Clive, and they begin dating. Clive keeps insisting that despite their passion and love for each other, they shouldn’t have sex. He doesn’t want to lose his social status at all.

However, Maurice is expelled from the school and decides to become a stockbroker in London. Both continue dating in this time, but things go awry when Viscount Risley is arrested. Turns out he solicited sex from a soldier, and was found out. His punishment was six months’ hard labor, and Clive, afraid of the consequences, breaks up with Maurice.

He then marries a rich girl named Anne. Maurice is devastated by all of this and begins seeing a physician, who thinks he can cure Maurice of his homosexuality. A gamekeeper starts to have interest in him, and when someone else slips that they think Maurice is a homosexual, the gamekeeper, Alec, climbs into Maurice’s winder and kisses him while asleep.

Maurice doesn’t stop him, though. He receives a letter from Alec, and, thinking he’s being blackmailed, he flees. His doctor tells him to leave the country, and Alec comes all the way to London in order to find Maurice. They talk, and they clear the air about what happened.

They sleep together in a hotel room, and the next morning Alec reveals he’s leaving for Argentina and not coming back. Maurice goes to the port, where he realizes Alec never made it onto the ship. He then goes to Clive, where he confesses his love for Alec, and Clive doesn’t know what to say to all of this.

Maurice leaves him behind and goes looking for Alec. Turns out he abandoned his family and the ship to stop with Maurice, and their ending might be a lot happier than expected. Clive goes to bed, and remembers his time with Maurice.

Overall Thoughts

I never thought I would be watching a movie from the eighties telling the story of a gay man from the early 1900s, but here we are! I’m glad I watched the movie though, as I mentioned earlier. I think this is such a compelling tale and coming of age story, and it’s unique because of this.

That said, it certainly might not be for everyone. I would happily recommend it to my readers and friends, but I could see how it’s very entrenched in the male experience. It doesn’t try to pretend otherwise, but if you want to learn about the female-dominated side of things, this isn’t a movie for you—there aren’t many women in it in general.

Give it a chance if it seems interesting to you!

Follow me below on Instagram and Goodreads for more.