Lady Macbeth

Katherine (Florence Pugh) has been sold into a loveless marriage to live a lonely existence in a house dominated by the cruelty of her father in law.  Ignored by her husband, she is forced into a life of tedious routine.  When both men are away for a long period she takes the chance to reawaken her love for the outdoors and desire for a more exciting existence.  This leads into a passionate affair with Sebastian (Cosmo Jarvis) one of her husband's employees, a path that can only lead to conflict.  But Katherine proves to be the stronger personality over all those who seek to put obstacles in her path, and has no qualms about taking whatever actions she thinks necessary to protect the life she wants to lead.

Based on a nineteenth century Russian novella, and transposed to northern England in the 1860s, this Lady Macbeth is ambitious for herself, not her husband.  She's determined to break through the patriarchal system that denies her humanity and tries to stifle her needs.  Even if that means committing the most brutal of crimes.

It's real slow burner of a drama.  There's a great deal of silence and repetition to establish just how dull her married existence is, and a slow increase in the suffocation of her personality.  When she's released to live her own life it is literally a breath of fresh air as the camera opens up from the claustrophobia of the house onto the distant horizons of the moors.  It's easy to understand why it would be impossible for her to return to the old regime.  But at any cost?

Pugh is magnificent as the central spindle which others must cling to or be thrown away.  Even as her crimes become as monstrous as the title suggests, she is able to retain a shred of sympathy from her audience for the injustices she suffered that put her on this road.  A feminist anti-hero.

The film is also notable for showing the Britain of the time as a more racially diverse place than is usually represented on screen, but doesn't shy away from the racism that existed either.

It's a bleak and dark tale, but with a fascinating and complex central character who holds the attention throughout.