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‘Gwen’ Review: Dir. William McGregor (2019)

Bulldog Film Distribution

After scoring a high-profile world premiere at last year’s Toronto International Film Festival, gothic period drama Gwen finally makes it to cinemas. Featuring an outstanding, excellent female duo at the centre of its cast, this bleak, Welsh-set dense chiller is also a striking feature debut from filmmaker William McGregor.

It is 19th century Snowdonia where we meet Elen (Maxine Peake) and her two daughters; youngest Mari (Jodie Innes) and Gwen (Eleanor Worthington-Cox). The family runs a small farm in rural North Wales, the father of Mari and Gwen absent, though they have constant hope of a return someday. Elen grafts hard in the yard but is suffering from an illness – revealed to epilepsy – that leads her to fitting and in need of constant care. Because of this, a lot of the running of things falls to the teenage Gwen, though times are hard; the crops are failing, livestock has died and what little produce they can gather together isn’t selling at the local market. There’s also the threat of cholera, which we learn in the film’s opening scenes has wiped out an entire family next door to Elen, Gwen and Jodie, and there are also the threats from a local quarry owner who has his eye on their land.

Related: Watch an exclusive clip from gothic period drama Gwen

Gwen isn’t an easy watch – it’s dank, depressing and increasingly bleak. However, if is skillfully crafted; a wonderful debut from McGregor who cut his teeth behind the camera on television, credits including Misfits and Poldark. His script is void of much dialogue, but the sound is perhaps one of the most important and prevalent aspects of the film. The sound design is front and centre, minute detail paid to even the quietest of noises and James Edward Barker’s haunting wind-chilled score adding to the heightened sense of chilling foreboding throughout.

Peake, last seen in Mike Leigh’s Peterloo and the brilliant Funny Cow is again on her best form here, but it is the presence of Worthington-Cox, already a huge success on the stage with an Oliver-winning performance in Matilda, who is outstanding in a breakthrough role as the title character. Expect huge things from this exceptional rising star in the future.

Gwen’s slow-building tempo and very depressing scenes won’t be for all, but this is truly remarkable stuff, unsettling and unforgiving, intoxicating from the outset and chilling to the absolute core.

Gwen is now playing in cinemas.

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