#REVIEW: “YOUNG WERTHER”

Review by Amanda Gilmore for Mr. Will Wong

This Adaptation of the 1774 epistolary Novel by Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, titled The Sorrows of Young Werther, puts Toronto on full display.

Young Werther tells the same story as the 18th-century novel. Werther (Douglas Booth) is a charming Writer who stumbles across the love of his life, Charlotte (Alison Pill). However, there’s one big problem: Charlotte’s engaged. Despite this, Werther turns his world upside down in a desperate and misguided quest to win her heart.

The Sorrows of Young Werther has been considered the first novel of its kind. Telling the story of a man chasing after a woman he can’t have. Since Goethe‘s novel, many books and films have depicted this theme of unrequited love. One that can turn even the most rational…irrational. Booth does a great job of portraying a man’s love completely consuming him.

Although the 18th-century Novel by today’s standards is dated, first-time Feature Writer-Director José Avelino Gilles Corbett Lourenço adapts it for a modern audience. Young Werther is placed in the Rom-Com genre with a well-balanced mix of the old and new, allowing fans familiar with the material and those coming with fresh eyes something to enjoy.

The Rom-Com genre along with Pill and Booth’s strong chemistry, allows for audiences to want Werther to succeed. We see how great Charlotte and our foolhardy protagonist are together. They speak their own language, and understand one another. Additionally, the Screenplay makes it so Charlotte’s fiancé, Albert (Patrick J. Adams), has a career that makes him distant leaving Charlotte lonely.

Spoiler Alert ahead for those not familiar with the Novel!

The Novel was met with some controversy due to its depiction of suicide. Werther’s unrequited love and the insurmountable pain that follows, lead him to commit suicide. This Adaptation doesn’t include Werther’s decision. Instead, Lourenço allows his protagonist to confront and do something with his pain.

Spoiler Alert over!

Lastly, having this story set it Toronto gives a fresh twist on this classic. And Torontonians will delight in playing spot that landmark! We can easily spot Union Station, Roy Thomson Hall, and the Fairmont Royal York Hotel, to name a few.

VVS Films release YOUNG WERTHER in cinemas Friday, January 10, 2025.