It's a classic case of opposite attraction: Handsome Ben Bennet is a gay, affluent, stylish attorney at the top of the genteel social set in southern Virginia, while Lee Darcy is a rough-hewn welder with a secret that he nightly tries to blot out with an excess of liquor.
Writing
Wickham as actual villain? Finally, justice for Austen.
Acting
Lee's drunk scenes hit different—messy, real, heartbreaking.
Director
Byrum Geisler
Trivia, insights & behind the scenes
This was part of a 2010s wave of queer Austen adaptations, but notably one of the few with working-class leads rather than just swapping genders among the wealthy.
Director Byrum Geisler largely self-funded the project through crowdfunding, shooting in his actual Virginia hometown to keep costs down.
US
