Does she just write murder really well, or perhaps have a deeper understanding of it? That is the question at the center of A Talent for Murder. The psychological thriller stars Helen Mirren as a fictionalized Patricia Highsmith, the real-life author of the Tom Ripley book series.
Questioning her motives is exactly what makes the film so delicious. "I think our fascination with Ripley as an audience is he takes advantage of a situation, doesn't he?" Mirren tells Newsweek. "That moment of decision, I think that's why we identify with Ripley, why he's such a fascinating character for us.
Because he's understandable. You can relate to him." In the film, a young editor named Edward (played by Alden Ehrenreich) is tasked with persuading a reclusive Highsmith to write another installment of her Ripley series. That pursuit sets in motion a thrilling back and forth between the two and makes you constantly question both of their motives.
"Understanding the Ripley in our film, I think, is more like the later Ripley, in certain ways. And then with Edward, it's a fictional character who kind of learns things from sort of almost the tale of Ripley," Ehrenreich says, careful not to give away much detail. What makes A Talent for Murder so compelling is seeing touches of Ripley in the capable hands of both Mirren and Ehrenreich.
Each actor forces you to root for them while simultaneously doubting their intentions. It is a dance that relies on great performers with a great story, and both of them execute it perfectly. "It is her in some ways writing herself as this gay person who wishes that they were this sophisticated metropolitan European," Ehrenreich says of Highsmith's deep connection to her most famous character.
Highsmith notoriously inserted queer themes in her work, and her published diaries later confirmed her many romantic relationships with women. While both actors came into the project not knowing much about Highsmith, they left understanding the author in a complicated and nuanced way. "I didn't know very much at all, and so a lot of the joy of doing this was learning about her," Ehrenreich says.
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