Matthew Turner | On 11, Mar 2022

Director: Ruth Paxton
Cast: Sienna Guillory, Jessica Alexander, Ruby Stokes, Lindsay Duncan
Certificate: 15

This slow-burning, atmospheric horror is the first feature from Scottish filmmaker Ruth Paxton. Combining striking direction and relatable themes, it’s a deeply disturbing debut that marks out Paxton as a talent to watch.

Sienna Guillory stars as Holly Hughes, a widowed mother whose terminally ill husband died by drinking bleach, a severely traumatic incident witnessed by their oldest daughter, Betsey. Several years later, a now teenaged Betsey (Jessica Alexander) has a supernatural experience that leaves her unable to eat.

At first, Holly assumes Betsey has an eating disorder, but things get weird when it transpires that she isn’t actually losing any weight. Meanwhile, Betsey’s condition drags on, annoying both her grandmother (Lindsay Duncan) and younger sister, Isabelle (Ruby Stokes). But does she have mental health issues or is something far more sinister going on?

Scripted by Justin Bull, the film finds a way to make Betsey’s experience both otherworldly and yet completely relatable for teenagers, especially when she talks about her skin not feeling right. Similarly, Holly’s experience will be familiar to parents who’ve felt powerless to help their children – initially she’s supportive, then increasingly frustrated, suffused with a profound sense of failure.

Paxton’s direction is extremely striking, especially when it comes to the inspired use of sound design and close-up to reflect Betsey’s fear of the food Holly is preparing – the combination of sound and image is oppressive, making Betsey’s terror entirely understandable.

The performances are superb across the board. Guillory anchors the film with a sympathetic turn as the increasingly out-of-her-depth mother, while Alexander is chilling as Betsey, especially when conveying her shifts of mood. There’s also strong work from Stokes, while a perfectly cast Duncan nearly steals the film with a terrific scene in which she tries to talk some sense into Betsey.

Paxton ramps up the claustrophobia by confining the majority of the action to a single house. She’s aided by David Liddell’s startling cinematography, which makes strong use of dark, rich colours – Betsey’s lipstick, for example, or the different tones and textures of the food.

As the film progresses, other elements come into play, such as a fear of the future and a Melancholia-esque awareness of the End of Times, which serves to make the film even more relatable. There’s also a terrific effects-heavy sequence that is guaranteed to give you nightmares.

 

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