Moss & Freud Film Review: Sweet & Sensitive

Moss & Freud is a touching portrayal of the unconventional and unlikely friendship between an artist and his muse.

At the beginning of the film, the two main characters meet at the National Gallery in London. Between famous paintings and vibrant colours, they start to get to know one another. Initially, they are very different from each other, so much so that a friendship between them seems unlikely at best, but as time passes and they open up more, a wholesome, and at times unconventional, friendship blooms. 

The film brings its setting and time period to life, transporting us back to a posh side of London in the early 2000s. Every choice in Moss & Freud is successful in creating the atmosphere that many of the viewers will remember experiencing in London in 2002, with  the outfits and fashion choices that characterise Kate from the very beginning to the music choices during the quick montages that recap Kate’s career and rise to fame. This is also true for Lucian’s house, where the painting sessions take place, and the movie recreates both the creative environment of an art studio and the welcoming warmth of a home. As the film goes on, this will soon become a familiar place not just for Kate but also for the spectators themselves. 

Thankfully, the movie manages to stay away from the traditional biopic clichés and structures by focusing exclusively on one specific topic: the friendship between the two main characters. Despite the narrow timeline – after all, the entirety of the movie takes place in the span of approximately one year – Moss & Freud still manages to depict a multifaceted account of its character. This is especially true for Kate. While Ellie Bamber may not look exactly like the supermodel, she is very believable as Kate by seemingly effortlessly embodying her mannerisms, facial expressions, and overall posture. But Bamber’s performance truly shines when the audience gets to see a more intimate and human side of Kate. In the moments that allow her public persona to get left behind, we are able to see who the woman behind a 2000s icon really is. 

While the film does explore Lucian’s family history and background, Moss & Freud is entirely Kate’s movie. Still, one of the best moments is when we do get a glimpse of who Lucian really is, through his account of his experience in Nazi Germany. This is only narrated through a normal dinner conversation with Kate, and yet the first-person retelling of such key historical events in an almost mundane and natural way remains the striking and most memorable element of the film. When his own recollection of history is so powerful, I can’t help but wish that the film had focused a little longer on Lucian as a person rather than just an artist and acclaimed painter.

Naturally, the film gravitates towards the painting that Lucien is making of Kate. Moss & Freud does venture off in other parts of the characters’ lives and certainly explore their friendship. However, the painting – and the act of painting itself – keeps coming back over and over until the end of the movie when both Kate and the audiences are finally allowed to look at the final result. This ultimately hurts the pacing of the movie as it soon becomes not only highly repetitive but also too predictable to keep the audience interested. While the painting itself may function as a source of conflict between the characters, this is not enough to keep the narrative flowing naturally and effortlessly. 

While not without its faults, Moss & Freud is a fascinating film that allows us to see a journey of self-growth for both characters through their unlikely friendship over the course of nine months. Even for those of us who might not be entirely familiar with Kate or Lucian’s lives and careers, the film is enjoyable thanks to the emotional connection it creates with its characters. This movie might be about two very famous people in their respective films, but it simply treats them as human beings with their complicated histories, relationships, and character traits.

Moss & Freud was screened at the BFI London Film Festival on 10-16 October, 2025.