Maudie

Maudie follows Maud Lewis, a young woman in rural Nova Scotia who lives with painful arthritis and depends on family members after her parents die. In the late 1930s, she leaves her aunt and takes a live-in housekeeping job with Everett Lewis, a lonely fish seller who treats her harshly. Maud paints flowers, animals, and scenes from home on cards and on the walls of their tiny house. Their hard marriage lasts for decades as Maud finds fame and keeps making art despite poverty, pain, and loss.

The film puts a disabled woman and her wish for independence at the center of the story. Maud’s art gives her a way to earn money, shape her home, and show the bright world she sees. The film also shows family neglect, an abusive husband, and the cost of treating a person as helpless. Maud becomes more confident through her work, but the story stays focused on her private life, her marriage, and her need for love.