2003, PG-13, 95 minutes

If a picture tells a thousand words then Johannes Vermeer's Girl With a Pearl Earring has more than done its job. The painting inspired a speculative novel by Tracy Chevalier, and now a very satisfying film has been made from that book. Scarlett Johansson (Lost in Translation), nomination or not, gives another great performance as a girl who brings out the best in an older man.

Who is the girl with a pearl earring? According to director Peter Weber's film it's Griet (Johansson), a 16-year-old who is sent to work as a maid in the Vermeer home in 1665 Holland. From the beginning, Griet is treated horribly by the women of the house. Vermeer's perpetually pregnant wife Catharina (Essie Davis) is insecure and unstable. His mother-in-law (Judy Parfitt) is domineering, ruling the house with an iron fist. Then there's his daughter (Alakina Mann from The Others), who's the epitome of a spoiled brat.

The wide-eyed Griet does her best to do her work and avoid the wrath of the Vermeer women, but soon she is sent to clean the studio of the great painter. Vermeer (Colin Firth) is instantly intrigued by her beauty and innocence. She seems to have an artist's instincts, wondering if washing his windows will negatively affect his light. Vermeer asks her for feedback on his current work. "The colors aren't right," she tells him. Impressed, Vermeer slowly starts to take Griet away from her duties downstairs so she can work with him in his studio mixing his paints, running errands, and so on.

Of course, Catharina is not to find out of Griet's (platonic) time with her husband, or all hell will break loose. A wealthy art patron, Van Ruijven (Tom Wilkinson), commissions Vermeer to do a painting for him. Around that time, Vermeer tells Griet he wants to do a portrait of her. She is frightened, knowing what the consequences could be if his wife discovers this. Van Ruijven is also a possessive, dangerous type. What would he do if he finds out Vermeer is doing a personal work on his dime?

More dramatic tension ensues, but Johansson's performance is what makes the film fascinating. Griet is a girl of few words, but Johansson's deeply expressive face says it all. Her wide-eyed but delicate stare shows that while Griet is flattered by the artist's attention, she knows her place in society and in the Vermeer household. She is the maid, and perhaps she would be better off spending time with the local butcher (Cillian Murphy) who courts her than thinking about being Vermeer's muse.

Firth is fine as Vermeer, but his character remains underdeveloped, which is acceptable considering the movie is called Girl With a Pearl Earring, not Vermeer. Davis has a juicy role as Vermeer's wife, full of tantrums and fits of crying. Parfitt is memorable as the mother-in-law who knows exactly what's going on in the studio, and yet hides it from her daughter because she understands an artist's psyche. Wilkinson (In the Bedroom) is good as usual, showing surprising menace as the art patron.

Girl With a Pearl Earring, thanks mostly to Johansson and Eduardo Serra's beautiful, Oscar-nominated cinematography, stands as a minor work of art in itself. Despite the sometimes-cartoonish villainy of its supporting characters, the movie is satisfying and worthwhile. The movie ends with a shot of Vermeer's real portrait of the girl with a pearl earring and those haunting eyes, and we understand why it inspired a novel and a film, and we're glad it did.