Girl With a Pearl Earring ***

Cast: Scarlett Johansson, Colin Firth, Tom Wilkinson, Judy Parfitt, Cillian Murphy, Essie Davis
Director: Peter Webber

Girl with a Pearl Earring is a fictionalized account of what lead the artist Vermeer to paint the painting of the same name. The real events around the painting are unknown, so the movie is all conjecture. That being said, it is a plausible story. Griet, as a teenager, goes to work for Vermeer's family as a maid. Her parents cannot support her and this is how she is to take care of herself. Vermeer himself is the only member of the family that actually likes her, and she often helps him prepare his painting supplies as well as cleans his studio. Van Rujiven, Vermeer's patron develops an overly strong liking to Griet, and eventually commissions a painting of her which leads to a very tense household. Fine acting all around fills this interesting story of what could have been behind the creation of this painting.