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Oct 13, 2016 By Stephen Mayne Web Exclusive

Watching the news is rarely a comforting experience, each broadcast full of atrocities large and small. Normally they take place everywhere but the newsroom. Not in Christine. Antonio Campos’ dramatization of an infamous incident from 1974 shows the build-up to, and the moment when Christine Chubbuck did something wholly shocking live on air.

There must be something about Chubbuck this year. Back in January two separate films telling her story premiered at Sundance. Unlike Kate Plays Christine, a quasi-documentary, Campos’ version is altogether more traditional. Rebecca Hall takes the title role as the television news reporter working for a local Florida station. She’s bitter and brusque, rude to everyone and unhappy both professionally and personally. Her career is stalling, damaged by a focus on worthy stories no one much cares for, while her personal life has yet to even start.

The clue to Christine is in the title. It’s all about her. Hall shoulders a heavy weight, carrying the entire story. Not that the pressure shows on her carefully fractured performance. She plays Christine as sharp and brittle, offering a trying exterior that cracks just enough to reveal the struggling woman beneath. She comes with medical worries, and hasn’t got close to having sex, never mind a fulfilling relationship. She also lacks friends. There’s just her pot smoking mother (J. Smith-Cameron) who occasionally references a previous breakdown. Work is hardly any better, Christine refusing to compromise her passion for serious news at the cost of frequent rows with Tracy Letts’ boss.

Hall and the rigid focus on Christine create a compelling central figure. Surrounding characters fare less well. People flit in – her mother, a newsreader she has a crush on played by Michael C. Hall, Letts’ embattled manager – none of them making much impact. Campos jumps around the supporting cast, quickly losing interest and returning to Chubbuck. The camera stays with her most of the time, as does Craig Shilowich’s screenplay. The picture painted is comprehensive where Chubbuck is concerned, only half-sketched when it comes to those around her.

In a way this enhances the image of Christine Chubbuck as a person alone, offering further light on the actions to come. When the end does arrive, it’s shot succinctly, no cloying close-ups or over-emotive strings. She does what she does, a few unnecessary scenes follow, and Christine ends. For the most part, mainly thanks to Hall, it works.

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Author rating: 7.5/10