Vanessa Redgrave's daughter Joely Richardson (Nip/Tuck, Anonymous) plays the lead amongst a British cast including Sadie Soverall (Saltburn, Arcadian), Neil Linpow (who also wrote the story) and Harry Cadby - these forming the main key figures in the story. The story is about an isolated Scottish house in which Mama (Richardson), daughter Maisy (Soverall) and Pa (Roger Ajogbe) live. One wild stormy night, two men, Jack (Linpow) and Matty (Cadby), turn up on the doorstep asking for help as they'd had a car accident. Mama was very reluctant to let them in, but did in the end.
Jack was unconscious and had something pole-like sticking out of his torso which Mama proceeded to remove - and stitch up the hole (claiming to be an anaesthetist by profession) to save his life. They had no phone. Or TV. Or anything to connect them with the outside world much and Mama was strangely overprotective of Maisy - who came across throughout as a childlike figure defying her chronological age. Pa is in a wheelchair and Mama has to inject him with something every few hours to keep him comfortable. As you can see, it's a very odd little house and family, the truth about which comes out later!
Everything is not all as it seems with Jack and Matty, either - as Matty also comes across as childlike and sometimes uncontrolled, with Jack having to calm him. Turns out that they are brothers and Jack's role is to look after Matty as he's had a background of mental health issues. Mama takes Jack to his overturned car to collect something that will help calm Matty and when they are there, she sees a dead body in the back of it. Jack whips out a gun and here starts the outflow of the truth about the brothers and their criminal activity - they're basically on-the-run from the law.
So, that's about all the setup you need to know in order to enjoy the unfolding of what's going on, what has gone on and what's going happen as we head towards the grand finale. It's nicely paced with reveals coming out on a well-timed schedule, keeping interest high, edge-of-the-seat often, tense, dark and suspenseful - no silly jump-scares. It's certainly character-driven with a small cast and mostly shot in one location. There are some lovely visuals of the eerie Scottish landscape and backdrop, through the wild weather.
The central performances are very good indeed, particularly the two female leads who turn their delivery of shock, horror, thrills and anxiety well as the story unfolds and twists arrive. And the story is quite nicely crafted - a bit far-fetched ultimately but there's a satisfying outcome for those who stick around. And you should. Few would be disappointed. It's out there on various streaming services, but don't forget the alternative title.
No comments:
Post a Comment