Cynthia Nixon brings Emily Dickinson to life in Terence Davies' 'A Quiet Passion'

“A Quiet Passion,” Terence Davies’ masterful new movie, plays out in the sunny gardens and lamp-lighted drawing rooms of 19th-century Amherst, Mass., where Emily Dickinson spent most of her 55 years patiently making her monumental contribution to American literature.

At first glance, the film,...