To Olivia, a new film starring Keeley Hawes and Hugh Bonneville, explores the unthinkable grief of Roald Dahl and Patricia Neal following the death of their seven-year-old daughter Olivia in 1962. The drama, directed by John Hay, focuses on the couple's struggle to cope with the loss, which leads Dahl into depression and stunted creativity.
Bonneville portrays Dahl as a 'big kid' who loses his playful spirit after Olivia's death, while Hawes's Neal is depicted as the more competent parent and adult. The film includes moments where Dahl lashes out at his other daughter Tessa and lies catatonic as the kitchen catches fire, highlighting the depth of his despair.
Critics have noted that the storyline of a 'competent woman waiting for man's genius to kick in' feels lazy, but the film has astute moments, such as a scene where a clergyman insists animals cannot be in heaven, prompting Dahl's first real tears. The film is elevated by the fact that Olivia's death from encephalitis caused by measles was avoidable, as the measles vaccine was developed just a year later.
Dahl became a lifelong advocate for vaccinations, a fact noted only in the end credits. The film serves as a reminder of what might have been and the risks of vaccine hesitancy today.
