It has taken writer and director Carol Morley six years to bring to the screen the story of Audrey Amiss, a woman suffering from severe mental health issues who was a hidden gem in the art world. Typist Artist Pirate King is a fictional tale of two women who may seem so different yet are drawn together as they go on an incredible road trip. This may seem like a dysfunctional version of Thelma and Louise, but it plays more like Rain Man, with a showy performance from one actress and a subtle, quietly underplayed one from the other.

Audrey Amiss, living alone after a long spell in institutes, has a burning desire to attend a local art competition and persuades her visiting social worker, Sandra, to take her. With a packed electric car full of her eclectic work, Audrey announces that they are heading to Sunderland from London. Along the way, Audrey and Sandra slowly build a stronger relationship, even though Audrey’s health issues lead them into all kinds of trouble.

Morley, who gave us the extraordinary documentary Dreams of a Life and the spooky The Falling, obviously has a real passion for her lead character. Having done extensive research and connecting with Audrey’s family, the film captures the strange world that she existed in by injecting photos of her artwork. From the easily accessible scenes of seaside life to the child-like scribbles and collection of cuttings and food packages in her scrapbook, these tell you more about this remarkable woman than the movie does. This is a shame because she is fascinating, but getting into her head does come across more like award fodder than a rounded character.

Audrey is the kind of woman who you would cross the road to avoid. Prone for violent outbursts and strange accusations as she sees her past in the faces of strangers, she needs solid support to balance the loudness of this woman. In Sandra, we get those silent moments, a nurse pushed to the limits by Audrey and yet handles her with a calm voice, a smile and the type of care you’d expect from a mother to a child. Although she has the patience of a saint, there are moments when her volatile behaviour even pushes Sandra to the edge.

As a road movie, it doesn’t have the vastness of an Americana tale but the quaintness of an English countryside, as Sandra proves in one of the funnier moments that she cannot drive on a motorway, so the country lanes are her only option. Each of their stops on their extended trip brings new challenges as Audrey sees her old head teacher in the gentle face of a yoga instructor or a hated music teacher in the eyes of a stranger offering help with directions. The journey to the art exhibition is a chance for Audrey to reconnect with her estranged sister Dorothy and the answer to Audrey’s scars on her arm.

While the film is pleasing to the eye, it does look like it could easily play as a TV drama. Unlike Morley’s previous films, this is not cinematic enough to work on the big screen, and sadly, the performances are oddly unbalanced and, if I am honest, slightly uncomfortable to view. No matter how passionate Morley is about her character and trying to show a woman of great talent with her art, using an actress to play a woman with such complex issues still feels somewhat dated.

I’m not taking anything away from Monica Dolan. She is an extraordinary actress, and it’s an opportunity to shine in a lead role. However, there are moments when the rantings and hallucinatory moments are uncomfortable to watch as they look like a performer acting instead of an accurate, honest characterisation. On the other hand, Kelly MacDonald, playing the less showy role of Sandra, brings an air of empathy to her role of a woman having to spend each waking moment with Audrey. Like Tom Cruise in Rain Man, his was the less showy and more enjoyable. MacDonald has a calming lilt to her voice that works magic, and hopefully, she will be as rewarded as Dolan will obviously be. Another pleasant surprise, in a more minor yet just as important role, is Gina McKee as Audrey’s sister, Dorothy. It’s brief but nevertheless impressive.

Typist Artist Pirate King, a title from a moment in the film when Sandra discovers Audrey’s passport, is a strange mix of the whimsical, the comic, the shocking and the sympathetic. It manages to never be over-sentimental; sadly, it didn’t connect for me. It is a pity, as you can tell, that this is an actual passion project and an opportunity to praise the work of an extraordinary artist.

3 out of 5

Director: Carol Morley

Starring: Monica Dolan, Kelly McDonald, Gina McKee, Kieran Bew, Christine Bottomley, Judith Chandler, Gary Bates, Orla Cottingham

Written by: Carol Morley

Running Time: 108 mins

Cert: 12A

Release date: 27th October 2023