I didn’t know anything about the artist Maud Lewis but this movie is based on her life. It is difficult to say how accurate the film is – one account online seems to indicate her husband was much less harsh in real life, while another account says he was worse. The film ends with Maud’s death but I’ve read online that her husband was murdered nine years later in an attempted robbery at their home.

The acting is very good in the film. Ethan Hawke is believable whether he is playing the harsher or warmer side of Everett Lewis. With actions rather than words, Sally Hawkins displays the pain that Maudie suffers due to her arthritis, but shines in her small comedic lines.