‘The Christophers’ is a Meditation on Art and Legacy

Michaela Coel and Ian McKellen in The Christophers | Credit: Neon

When artist Lori (Michaela Coel) is hired to forge some unfinished paintings by the once-famous artist, Julian Sklar (Ian McKellen), both artists discover a great deal about themselves in the process.

The Christophers mostly consists of Lori and Julian talking together in various rooms in his home. The cinematography is engaging, without needing to be too flashy; the camera never distracts from the fantastic dialogue being shared between these two characters. But there is nowhere to hide in this film; it requires tremendous performances from the two leads, and Coel and McKellen deliver.

Michaela Coel is perfect as the guarded and unassuming Lori. She’s a woman of few words, but when she does speak, it’s as powerful as you’d expect it to be. And even when she’s not delivering any lines, her eyes communicate everything.

Ian McKellen’s Julian is the perfect counterpart to Lori. He has lived a lot of life—for both the good and the bad. However, he’s a shell of his former self, filled with self-loathing and regret. And yet, there’s still a twinkle in his eye, even as he’s lost in an eloquently constructed monologue about other people’s inadequacies, the horrors of art, or just the mundane moments in life.

The Christophers does a fantastic job of letting us into the inner worlds of these two characters little by little. Throughout the film, we get glimpses of Lori’s own brilliance, her talent, and the ways that she’s been hurt throughout her career. Julian’s own frailty and vulnerability make their way to the screen, showing what he’s covered up for so many years. We also see moments of fun and joy between these two—something you wouldn’t expect from these two unlikely characters.

Michaela Coel and Ian McKellen in The Christophers | Credit: Neon

Throughout The Christophers, we witness various parts of who Julian Sklar is and was, and who Lori Butler is and was. It invites us to reflect on the complicated nature of legacy, art, and regret. We also see how the public personas that people adopt when in the limelight don’t always translate into who they really are, even though their decisions have very real consequences. Though we don’t know all of the details of the harm that Julian has caused, we get small glimpses of it throughout the film. And we also learn what it can look like for someone to try to atone for those mistakes—however difficult that might be.

The film also has some interesting things to say on the business of art. We even see footage from earlier in Julian’s career (but after he’d gotten famous) where he sold paintings in front of his home, as a way to stick it to the industry as a whole. Lori has also found her own ways to subvert the system that forces artists to conform to expectations. And yet, even with that, there’s still a desire to operate within this industry.

But at its heart, The Christophers is about these two characters and the various ways they’ve learned to cope with life. And in the midst of their own pain, they are able to bring beautiful things to life. But, most importantly, as they spend time with each other, they are both changed—not just as artists but as human beings.