To Walk Invisible: The Brontë Sisters

[A] darkly acerbic, and riveting, Masterpiece drama, written and directed by Sally Wainwright

There’s a fair amount of darkness in this story, because the lives it chronicles were not easy. There’s also a fair amount of humor. Mostly there’s admiration for three women who in a very short time accomplished things their world saw no reason to think they could.

Anne, Emily and Charlotte come vividly to life as they decide on their pseudonyms, engage with publishers via correspondence, and diligently crank out some of the works that eventually made them famous.

The script is only one of the stars of the production. Wainwright weaves samples of the women’s writing, including poetry, into the dialogue, and creates distinct characters in each of the three sisters, not to mention their father and brother.

The drama’s undeniable strength is its three female leads: Pirrie, Atkins, and Charlie Murphy as Anne Brontë, who find great depth in their three different characters, and their complex bonds. ... That the sisters are so intriguing is what makes To Walk Invisible’s heavy focus on Branwell so frustrating.

The sisters' own compelling story is the stuff of grand drama. [20 Mar - 2 Apr 2017, p.19]

Wainwright’s treatment of the subject is eccentric, shifting from surreal childhood scenes to stifled adult life in the claustrophobic parsonage. The sisters--Finn Atkins as Charlotte, Charlie Murphy as Anne and Chloe Pirre as Emily--are cranky, chilly and generally unlikable. ... The Yorkshire accents are only the start of the problem. Low-talking and a loud music track conspire to make much of the dialogue unintelligible.