The romantic, tragic story of Anne Boleyn and her deadly yet fruitful relationship with Henry Tudor, also known as King Henry VIII, is regularly retold — typically in mini-series format and with particular emphasis placed on Anne’s victimhood. “The Other Boleyn Girl,” based on the best-selling novel by Philippa Gregory, assumes a broader perspective and asks the audience to root out its own judgment of Anne’s character.

Justin Chadwick, an Emmy nominated director for TV mini-series “Bleak House” (2007), is as the helm of this dark, rich period drama. Chadwick’s use of naturally occurring light infuses each scene with a refreshingly down-to-earth quality, considering the lofty subject matter — the infamous extra-marital dealings of one of the most notorious monarchs in history and the death of the mother of yet another famous monarch: Queen Elizabeth I.

To frame the story, the film begins with an ethereal scene. The young Boleyn siblings, George, Anne and Mary, flutter through a golden field while their parents watch and scheme. To advance the family’s standing, Sir Thomas Boleyn, played by Mark Rylance, plans to use his children to their fullest potential, and he sees the most potential in Anne, played by Natalie Portman.

Scarlett Johansson is Mary, the kinder and somewhat fairer of the two sisters, who as the second daughter is seen in a more functionary and plebeian light than the somewhat vain and ambitious Anne. Because of their differences, the sisters seem all the more close and devoted to one another and throughout the film this relationship is repeatedly tested as first Anne and then Mary attracts the adulterous attention of Henry Tudor.

King Henry VIII, played by Eric Bana (“Troy,” 2004 and “Hulk,” 2003), has one daughter and one still born son by his Spanish wife, Catherine. It is well-known that he has a roaming eye, and Sir Thomas Boleyn and his brother, the Duke of Norfolk, played by David Morrissey (“The Reaping,” 2007), are eager to place a girl under his gaze, hoping that if she wins his affections they will be rewarded and she married to a Duke or Marquis. Anne is the obvious candidate as Mary has just been married to a country nobleman.

It doesn’t seem to take much to attract the King’s attention, and if this film has any comment to make, it is that Henry was easily distracted by his lusts, which were highly malleable and was a fairly short-sighted ruler.

The mere details of the plot are captivating despite how common-knowledge the conclusion is. Between Johansson and Portman, the film features enough subtle expressions of incredible fear mixed with reluctant courage to put a permanent knot in your stomach.

David Morrissey’s portrayal of the selfish and dastardly Duke of Norfolk provides a somewhat disturbing counterpart to the girl’s father. Norfolk is the driving force behind the pandering the girls to the King, and at times is seems that if it suited the King, Norfolk would offer himself up to gain the slightest political foothold.

It is never made clear which sister is the other Boleyn girl, but Mary’s response to the King when he questions why she would have him spare Anne from execution after their tumultuous and sometimes hateful relationship — “Because she is my sister and, therefore, one half of me” — sheds a shaft of light on the question. No matter what they may have desired or schemed for themselves, each was an integral part of the other’s fate. Although they were considered to be quite different in nature, they were alike enough to love the same man and defy morality to have him.

“The Other Boleyn Girl” is rated PG-13 for thematic elements, sexual content and some violent images and has a running time of 115 minutes. You can see this movie at Oswego Cinema 7, 138 W. Second St. Oswego, at 4:20, 6:50 and 9:20 p.m.