---
title: "Ladies in Black"
year: 2018
kind: "film"
canonical: "https://film.one/film/ladies-in-black"
fi1m_id: "ladies-in-black"
imdb_id: "tt6684884"
tmdb_id: 483411
wikidata_id: "Q58814676"
fi1m_score: 62
critics_reviews: 3
published: "2026-10-03T08:08:28.835341+00:00"
updated: "2026-10-03T08:08:29.266479+00:00"
region: "FI"
licence: "© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL."
---

# Ladies in Black (2018)

Directed by Bruce Beresford · 1h 49m · Comedy, Drama

## Identity

Ladies in Black

- **Canonical:** https://film.one/film/ladies-in-black
- **Type:** Film
- **Fi1m ID:** ladies-in-black
- **IMDb ID:** tt6684884
- **TMDB ID:** 483411
- **Wikidata ID:** Q58814676
- **Same entity:** https://www.imdb.com/title/tt6684884/, https://www.themoviedb.org/movie/483411, https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q58814676

**Fi1m score: 62** · Critics: 3 of 6 reviews so far

*In a sentence:* The department store gets more careful attention than some of the people in it

> Bruce Beresford’s gentle ensemble comedy-drama offers an engaging Angourie Rice and a department store worth lingering in. Its warmth is appealing, but several characters need more attention than the screenplay gives them.

## Synopsis

Lisa (Angourie Rice), Magda (Julia Ormond) and Fay (Rachael Taylor) are at the centre of a comedy-drama whose ensemble gathers around a department store. Their stories sit alongside those of Patty Williams (Alison McGirr), Rudi (Ryan Corr) and Stefan (Vincent Perez), with Lisa providing a younger presence among the adults. The store gives the intersecting stories their shared setting, while personal concerns take the attention beyond it. Adapted from a novel by Madeleine St. John, the film follows several lives rather than keeping exclusively to Lisa’s.

## Review

*Ladies in Black* is pleasant company, though its people are not consistently interesting enough to make it more than that. Bruce Beresford approaches this ensemble comedy-drama with an affection that gives us reasons to stay even when individual stories feel underfed. The old-fashioned manner suits the material, and there is nothing inherently wrong with optimism. The difficulty is how often a reassuring tone does work that ought to have been done by the writing.

Angourie Rice supplies the strongest reason to care. As Lisa, she has a freshness that makes the film feel less settled in its assumptions, and her performance holds our attention without demanding it. There is room here for a younger presence to affect the temperature of an ensemble, and Rice makes good use of it. We wanted more of her, partly because she makes Lisa engaging and partly because the surrounding characterisation is so variable. That imbalance becomes harder to overlook whenever the film divides its attention.

The department store is another persuasive reason to remain. Peter James’s cinematography gives the setting a brightness that suits the film’s fondness for it, while Felicity Abbott’s production design makes the recreation feel carefully considered. We felt a small lift of pleasure at the store itself: the care spent on making this place convincing invites us to settle in. Wendy Cork’s costume design belongs comfortably within that setting, without making the people seem incidental to their clothes. These contributions establish a world the screenplay does not always explore with comparable patience.

Beresford and Sue Milliken’s adaptation of Madeleine St. John’s novel struggles most with the distribution of attention. Several subplots feel as though they have been included because an ensemble needs them, rather than because the film has found enough to do with them. The effect is particularly frustrating in a story that asks us to take pleasure in different personalities sharing the screen. Thin characterisation limits that pleasure before the actors have much chance to develop it. Goodwill can keep a scene agreeable, but it cannot supply everything we need to know about the people in it.

Mark Warner’s editing has the difficult task of keeping those strands in proportion, and the unevenness survives the transitions between them. A smoother passage from one character to another would not, by itself, give the slighter stories more substance. Christopher Gordon’s music supports the welcoming mood, although that mood is rarely what needs reinforcing. The craft is generally serving the same gentle purpose; we wished the writing would occasionally make that gentleness harder to sustain.

As a nostalgic ensemble comedy, the film understands the appeal of spending time somewhere carefully recreated, among people treated with affection. It also illustrates a familiar weakness of the form: reassurance can arrive before a character has become sufficiently complicated to need it. Rice and the store give it enough distinction to reward an interest in this sort of modest, amiable drama. Choose it for a quiet evening, with expectations kept a little below the standard of the production design.

*Fi1m score 62, published 3 October 2026.*

## Straight answers

**Is Ladies in Black worth watching?**

*Ladies in Black* is worth considering for a quiet evening if gentle ensemble dramas appeal; we score it 62 out of 100. Angourie Rice’s engaging performance and the carefully recreated department store give it charm, but thin characterisation and underdeveloped subplots keep our recommendation cautious.

**How long is Ladies in Black, and what is it rated?**

*Ladies in Black* runs 1h 49m. It is a comedy and drama film.

**Where can I watch Ladies in Black in Finland?**

*Ladies in Black* is streaming on Netflix in Finland, and it is also available to rent from Apple TV from €3.99. Availability is checked daily; the links above go straight to each service.

**How does Ladies in Black compare to Brooklyn?**

*Ladies in Black* offers gentler ensemble company than [*Brooklyn*](https://film.one/film/brooklyn), which we recommend more strongly for its moving central performance and sharper emotional consequences. The department store and Angourie Rice are the chief attractions here; *Brooklyn* gives its young woman’s experience of settling far from home more weight, despite some neatly arranged supporting characters and complications.

**Is Ladies in Black based on a true story or a book?**

*Ladies in Black* is adapted from a novel by Madeleine St. John, rather than presented as a true story. Bruce Beresford and Sue Milliken’s screenplay follows several intersecting lives around a department store; we find some strands underdeveloped, but that criticism does not establish how faithfully it follows the book or whether reading it first would help.

**What should I watch after Ladies in Black?**

After *Ladies in Black*, try [*Brooklyn*](https://film.one/film/brooklyn) (2015, Fi1m 83): Another young woman finds possibilities abroad, with sharper emotional consequences. Then [*The Shop Around the Corner*](https://film.one/film/the-shop-around-the-corner) (1940, Fi1m 88): Shop-floor relationships receive the wit and patient attention an ensemble deserves.

### Reviews we read (3)

- **The Hollywood Reporter**, Neil Young (70/100, inferred): Young finds the film appealingly old-fashioned, with a topical undercurrent that gives its nostalgia substance. He praises Angourie Rice’s fresh, engaging performance, while noting that several subplots feel perfunctory. [Read](https://www.hollywoodreporter.com/movies/movie-reviews/ladies-black-1142951/)
- **Screen Daily**, Sarah Ward (64/100, inferred): The accessible page identifies this as a review, but its verdict is not visible. No specific praise or complaint can be established from the available text. [Read](https://www.screendaily.com/reviews/ladies-in-black-review/5132037.article)
- **Variety**, Richard Kuipers (40/100, inferred): Kuipers finds the dramedy uneven, with its feel-good optimism and thin characterization limiting its emotional impact. He praises the radiant cinematography and meticulous production design, especially the recreation of the department store. [Read](https://variety.com/2018/film/reviews/ladies-in-black-review-1202947913/)

## Details

- **Director:** Bruce Beresford
- **Director:** Bruce Beresford
- **Screenplay:** Sue Milliken, Bruce Beresford
- **Novel:** Madeleine St. John
- **Cinematography:** Peter James
- **Editor:** Mark Warner
- **Music:** Christopher Gordon
- **Production design:** Felicity Abbott
- **Costume design:** Wendy Cork
- **Producer:** Sue Milliken, Allanah Zitserman
- **Cast:** Rachael Taylor as Fay; Julia Ormond as Magda; Angourie Rice as Lisa; Ryan Corr as Rudi; Nicholas Hammond as Mr. Ryder; Vincent Perez as Stefan; Shane Jacobson as Mr. Miles; Susie Porter as Mrs. Miles
- **Runtime:** 1h 49m
- **First release (Australia):** 18 October 2018
- **Genres:** Comedy, Drama
- **Trailer:** https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rd7aD7F2QCg

## Where to watch in Finland

- Netflix: streaming
- Apple TV: rent €3.99, hd
- Apple TV: buy €7.99, hd

*Checked 2026-10-03.*

Also available in: AE, AR, AT, AU, AZ, BE, BG, BR, CA, CH, CL, CO, CZ, DE, DK, EC, EE, ES, FI, FR, GB, GR, HK, HR, HU, ID, IE, IL, IN, IS, IT, JP, KR, LT, MX, MY, NL, NO, NZ, PA, PE, PH, PL, PT, RO, RS, SE, SG, SI, SK, TH, TR, UA, US, VN, ZA. Add `?region=XX` to this URL for another country.

## Awards

- AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role 2018: AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Leading Role (won)
- AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role 2018: AACTA Award for Best Actress in a Supporting Role (nominated)
- AACTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay 2018: AACTA Award for Best Adapted Screenplay (nominated)
- AACTA Award for Best Cinematography 2018: AACTA Award for Best Cinematography (nominated)
- AACTA Award for Best Costume Design 2018: AACTA Award for Best Costume Design (won)
- AACTA Award for Best Direction 2018: AACTA Award for Best Direction (nominated)
- AACTA Award for Best Editing 2018: AACTA Award for Best Editing (nominated)
- AACTA Award for Best Film 2018: AACTA Award for Best Film (nominated)
- AACTA Award for Best Original Music Score 2018: AACTA Award for Best Original Music Score (won)

## If you liked this

- *Brooklyn* (2015), Fi1m 83: Another young woman finds possibilities abroad, with sharper emotional consequences. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/brooklyn.md)
- *The Shop Around the Corner* (1940), Fi1m 88: Shop-floor relationships receive the wit and patient attention an ensemble deserves. — [Fi1m page](https://film.one/film/the-shop-around-the-corner.md)
- *The Sapphires* (2012): Australian period entertainment with an engaging female ensemble and more musical energy.
- *Our Little Sister* (2015): Patient observation gives this gentle ensemble the depth that reassurance alone cannot.
- *Made in Dagenham* (2010): Women at work, period detail and optimism with a firmer political purpose.

---
© Fi1m Ltd. Written by AI under a human editor; checked against sources before publication. Quote with attribution and a link to the canonical URL. Canonical: https://film.one/film/ladies-in-black