Miss Marx

Miss Marx
Theatrical release poster
Directed by	Susanna Nicchiarelli
Written by	Susanna Nicchiarelli
Produced by	Marta Donzelli Gregorio Paonessa
Starring	Romola Garai Patrick Kennedy
Cinematography	Crystel Fournier
Edited by	Stefano Cravero
Music by	Gatto Ciliegia contro il Grande Freddo Downtown Boys
Production companies	Vivo film Rai Cinema Tarantula VOO BeTV
Distributed by	01 Distribution (Italy)
Release dates	5 September 2020 (2020-09-05)(Venice) 17 September 2020 (2020-09-17)(Italy)
Running time	107 minutes
Countries	Italy Belgium
Language	English
Box office	$625,370 [1] [2]

Miss Marx is a 2020 biographical period drama film written and directed by Susanna Nicchiarelli. An English-language co-production between Italy and Belgium, the film stars Romola Garai as Eleanor Marx and Patrick Kennedy as Edward Aveling.

Miss Marx had its world premiere in the main international competition section at the 77th Venice International Film Festival on 5 September 2020. At the festival, Miss Marx received several accolades, including the FEDIC Award for Best Film, the Soundtrack Stars Award for Best Soundtrack, and the La Pellicola d'Oro Award for Best Dressmaker.

Plot

Eleanor Marx, the youngest daughter of Karl Marx, emerges as a prominent figure in the ⁣⁣socialistic⁣⁣ movement in the United Kingdom. A committed activist, she dedicates her life to workers’ rights, women’s emancipation, and the abolition of child labor. In 1883, she meets Edward Aveling, a playwright whose charm masks selfishness and financial irresponsibility. As Edward squanders the inheritance left to Eleanor by Friedrich Engels, he gradually drains her emotional and psychological strength as well.

Despite her advocacy against patriarchal oppression, Eleanor finds herself trapped in a similarly oppressive relationship, unable to reclaim her own happiness. A pivotal moment occurs when Eleanor and Edward perform a scene from Henrik Ibsen’s A Doll's House , portraying the characters Nora and Helmer. The dialogue eerily mirrors Eleanor’s own reality—one shaped and confined by the men closest to her.

By 1898, physically and emotionally exhausted and struggling with opium dependence, Eleanor takes her own life.

Cast

• Romola Garai as Eleanor Marx
• Patrick Kennedy as Edward Aveling
• John Gordon Sinclair as Friedrich Engels
• Felicity Montagu as Helene Demuth
• Karina Fernandez as Olive Schreiner
• Emma Cunniffe as Laura Marx
• George Arrendell  [ nl ] as Paul Lafargue
• Célestin Ryelandt as Johnny Longuet
• Oliver Chris as Friedrich 'Freddy' Demuth
• Alexandra Lewis as Aveling's second wife
• Georgina Sadler as Gerty
• Miel van Hasselt as Wilhelm Liebknecht
• Freddy Drabble as Havelock Ellis
• Barney White as Michael
• Stevie Raine as Phillip
• Philip Gröning as Karl Marx

Production

Principal photography began on 18 November 2019 at the Royal Charterhouse in Collegno, Turin. ^[3]

Release

Miss Marx had its world premiere in the main international competition section at the 77th Venice Film Festival on 5 September 2020. ^{[4] [5]} It was subsequently released in Italy by 01 Distribution on 17 September 2020. ^{[6] [7] [8]}

Reception

Box office

Miss Marx grossed a worldwide total of $625,370. ^{[1] [2]}

Critical reception

On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Miss Marx holds an approval rating of 46% based on 13 reviews, with an average of 5.5/10. ^[9]

Awards and nominations

Award	Date of the ceremony	Category	Recipients	Result	Ref.
David di Donatello Awards	11 May 2021	Best Film	Miss Marx	Nominated	[10]
		Best Producer	Marta Donzelli, Gregorio Paonessa, Joseph Rouschop and Valérie Bournonville	Won
		Best Director	Susanna Nicchiarelli	Nominated
		Best Cinematography	Crystel Fournier	Nominated
		Best Production Design	Alessandro Vannucci, Igor Gabriel and Fiorella Cicolini	Nominated
		Best Score	Gatto Ciliegia Contro II Grande Freddo and Downtown Boys	Won
		Best Sound	Adriano Di Lorenzo, Pierpaolo Merafino, Marc Bastien, Pierre Greco and Franco Piscopo	Nominated
		Best Costumes	Massimo Cantini Parrini	Won
		Best Visual Effects	Massimiliano Battista	Nominated
		Best Make-up	Diego Prestopino	Nominated
		Best Hairstyling	Domingo Santoro	Nominated
Globo d'oro	28 February 2021	Italians in the World Award	Miss Marx	Won	[11]
Venice Film Festival	2–12 September 2020	Golden Lion		Nominated	[12] [13] [14]
		FEDIC Award for Best Film		Won
		Soundtrack Stars Award for Best Soundtrack	Gatto Ciliegia contro il Grande Freddo	Won
		La Pellicola d'Oro Award for Best Dressmaker	Paola Spaghetti	Won

References

1. "Miss Marx (2020)". Box Office Mojo. IMDbPro . Retrieved 22 April 2023.
2. "Miss Marx (2020) - Financial Information". The Numbers. Nash Information Services, LLC. Retrieved 22 April 2023.
3. [1]
4. [1]
5. [2]
6. [3]
7. [4]
8. [5]
9. "Miss Marx (2020)". Rotten Tomatoes. Fandango Media . Retrieved 22 April 2023.
10. Vivarelli, Nick (11 May 2021). "'Hidden Away' Triumphs at Italy's David di Donatello Awards, Sophia Loren Wins Actress". Variety. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
11. "The 2021 Italian Golden Globe goes to The Macaluso Sisters". Cineuropa - the best of european cinema. 1 October 2021. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
12. "Biennale Cinema 2020 | Venezia 77 Competition". La Biennale di Venezia. 9 June 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
13. Sharf, Zack (28 July 2020). "Venice Film Festival 2020 Full Lineup: Luca Guadagnino, Chloe Zhao, Gia Coppola, and More". IndieWire. Retrieved 11 April 2025.
14. "Biennale Cinema 2020 | Collateral Awards of the 77th Venice Film Festival". La Biennale di Venezia. 12 September 2020. Retrieved 11 April 2025.

External links

• Miss Marx at IMDb