Review of I, Anna (2012) by Jonathan B — 18 Jun 2014

I really enjoyed this slow burning thriller in which Charlotte Rampling plays a lonely and vulnerable woman who has a connection with a violent murder. Quite what that connection is becomes revealed gradually as the killing is investigated by policeman, Gabriel Byrne.

The two lead actors are fantastic together. Rampling shows her mastery at playing complex and disturbed characters and Byrne matches her with his quiet and compassionate performance. There is a real air of an old fashioned mystery here and director, Barnaby Southcombe (Rampling's son), uses the location filming well to create an atmospheric setting.

Whilst it is true that the plot is relatively uncomplicated, it is the interplay of the characters that makes I, Anna such a compelling film. My only slight gripe is that I found some of the Richard Hawley songs featured on the soundtrack, didn't quite work in this context much as I like his work normally.