REVIEW: Evanna Lynch is Enchanting in ‘My Name Is Emily’

Feb 13, 2017

Posted by: Emma Pocock

Actor Interviews, Films, HP Cast, Interviews, Lynch, Lynch Interviews, News

Today marks the 36th birthday of the eccentric, open-minded Ravenclaw Luna Lovegood! what better way to celebrate than with a review of equally wonderful actress Evanna Lynch in Simon Fitzmaurice’s My Name Is Emily, out in cinemas in the U.S. in just four days. Watch out for our exclusive interview with Evanna tomorrow!

Simon Fitzmaurice was diagnosed with Motor Neurone Disease (ALS) in 2008, shortly after premiering his film at the Sundance Film Festival. My Name is Emily was crowd-funded via Indiegogo, and the campaign explained that Simon would need extra support on set to direct the film he wrote via retinal recognition technology. He received endorsements from the likes of Potter’s Alan Rickman and Fantastic Beasts’ Colin Farrell, and today the film is preparing for US release, after winning five awards.

The story begins with a voice-over by Emily (Evanna Lynch). Fitzmaurice has previously called voice-overs a ‘knife-edge’, however, the dreamy, light notes of Evanna’s voice adds the perfect atmosphere to an already poetic and layered narrative. We all remember Luna saying, “You’re just as sane as I am,” and it’s this same voice that accompanies Emily’s intricate monologue about life, death and isolation.

Evanna Lynch & George Webster in MY NAME IS EMILY. Photo Courtesy of Monument Releasing

Emily is living in a foster home in Dublin after her father (Michael Smiley) is confined to a mental hospital in rural Ireland after the death of Emily’s mother leaves him distraught and struggling with his hold on reality. Emily has grown up near the sea, in the outdoors, but after being thrust into suburban life she speaks of ‘a sadness in this city’, which plagues her and reminds her of what she has lost.

After joining the local school and struggling to find her place, she meets Arden (George Webster), and after discovering mutual struggles in their personal lives, Arden ends up driving her across Ireland (in a trust old yellow Renault) in search of Emily’s father. Roaming into rural Ireland, Arden and Emily find a sense of freedom in the ‘wild’ – at times threatening, plagued by adolescence, yet in this rural landscape they both find what they’ve been looking to fix, and though the film ends on an uncertain note, it gives a cathartic sense of joy at facing life’s challenges head on.

My Name is Emily is a story simultaneously navigates vulnerability and strength. It’s about persisting, but being strong enough to open yourself up to others. It’s an accessible story, which appeals to a sense of adventure and draws attention to the challenges of adolescence, but also sheds light on the trials of adulthood, struggles with mental health, and the isolation of an outsider.

Evanna Lynch is Emily in MY NAME IS EMILY. Photo Courtesy of Monument Releasing

Evanna weaves her own touch of eccentricity and strength into Emily – she is at the same time vulnerable and closed off, she is afraid to share her emotions but betrays them to us all the same. Emily and Luna have touches of similarities in their characters: their mothers were both lost in a tragic accident, and both lived with a father who was seen as an outsider and ridiculed by those who would rather play by society’s rules than keep an open mind. Emily and Luna each deal with this in different ways, and Evanna gives each character something surprisingly different – Emily is both cold and deeply honest, she has all of Luna’s Ravenclaw wit, but uses this to hold herself separate from the world.

Intriguing and poetic, Fitzmaurice has managed to write his script like a novel. Combined with the delicate handling of each character by such well-suited actors, and the beauty of the cinematography and Irish setting, My Name Is Emily is well worth watching, and deserves recognition not just for the trials it took to create, but for the universal message it shares about wellness and love.

You’ll be able to see My Name Is Emily from February 17th in cinemas in the U.S., and the movie can already be pre-ordered, and will be available for purchase and rental on iTunes, Amazon, Vimeo, and cable on-demand from Febraruy 24th.

Watch the trailer below, and let us know what you think of Evanna in the movie!

My Name Is Emily (Official Trailer) – 2017 from Monument Releasing on Vimeo.

Photos courtesy of Monument Releasing.

Join us in wishing Luna a very happy birthday, and share your favourite memories of her in the comments!





The Leaky Cauldron is not associated with J.K. Rowling, Warner Bros., or any of the individuals or companies associated with producing and publishing Harry Potter books and films.