Lady Macbeth
Director: William Oldroyd
Talent: Florence Pugh, Christopher Fairbank, Cosmo Jarvis, Bill Fellows
Released: 28th April
Relocating the action from Russia to 19th Century rural England, this adaptation of Nikolai Leskov’s novella Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District announces both director William Oldroyd and lead actress Florence Pugh as names to watch. Trapped in a loveless marriage to a much older man, Katherine (Pugh) begins a passionate love affair with a groomsman (Jarvis) which soon spirals out of control, leading to violence and murder.
This is a film of relatively minor ambitions, but everything here works. The cast is uniformly excellent – Oldroyd highlights issues of class divide and reflects contemporary racial tensions by anachronistically filling most of the servant roles with black actors – and the Northumberland locations are used to great effect, while a subtle but sly sense of humour ensures that the grimness of the story never becomes overpowering. At the centre of it all stands Pugh, who conveys her character’s transformation from sexually repressed bride to serial killer with consummate skill and unwavering empathy. She is clearly a major talent, and the film amply rewards her efforts.
Words – Felipe Deakin
