played by Kate Winslet in “Ammonite,” fits the bill: A female, working-class fossil collector in the early 19th century, when the field was almost solely the province of wealthy men, she’s now renowned for her groundbreaking discoveries of Jurassic-era marine skeletons.But this film from director Francis Lee (“God’s Own Country”) nudges Anning’s legacy to the side, focusing on her halting romance with a depressed young wife (Saoirse Ronan) who’s been pawned off on Anning, for an unofficial apprenticeship, by a bored husband (James McArdle).
Being a lesbian period piece, the film’s earned inevitable comparisons to last year’s “Portrait of a Lady on Fire.” Sure, it’s similar, minus the chemistry, humor and joy.