Gwen. (15.)
Directed by William McGregor.
Starring Eleanor Worthington-Cox, Maxine Peake, Richard Harrington, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Mark Lewis Jones and Jodie Innes. 82 mins.
This site rarely has a good word for period tales of British misery but this slice of struggle and gloom in 19th century Welsh hills is absolutely terrific, perhaps because it's often presented to us in the form of a horror movie. Seen through the eyes of the eldest daughter Gwen (Worthington-Cox) it follows the desperate attempts of her mother (Peake) to hold the family and their small farm together while her husband is away at war. The task is complicated by her mystery illness and an outside party (obvious to us but not to the title character) who is trying to oust them from their property.
This is writer/ director McGregor's first feature but he's done plenty of telly, so he's hardly a novice. Even so, this is impressive; I doubt there's a frame out of place here. The menace and beauty of the Snowdonia landscape are captured perfectly, the acting is great and it's creepy as hell without ever sacrificing the reality of the situation.
Directed by William McGregor.
Starring Eleanor Worthington-Cox, Maxine Peake, Richard Harrington, Kobna Holdbrook-Smith, Mark Lewis Jones and Jodie Innes. 82 mins.
This site rarely has a good word for period tales of British misery but this slice of struggle and gloom in 19th century Welsh hills is absolutely terrific, perhaps because it's often presented to us in the form of a horror movie. Seen through the eyes of the eldest daughter Gwen (Worthington-Cox) it follows the desperate attempts of her mother (Peake) to hold the family and their small farm together while her husband is away at war. The task is complicated by her mystery illness and an outside party (obvious to us but not to the title character) who is trying to oust them from their property.
This is writer/ director McGregor's first feature but he's done plenty of telly, so he's hardly a novice. Even so, this is impressive; I doubt there's a frame out of place here. The menace and beauty of the Snowdonia landscape are captured perfectly, the acting is great and it's creepy as hell without ever sacrificing the reality of the situation.
