Review of Lady Macbeth (2016) by K Nife C — 28 Aug 2017

As an avid period design geek, this year has been the jackpot for late 19th century-set films. If you've haven't seen Sophia Coppola's remake of The Beguiled, Terence Davies' biopic of Emily Dickinson A Quiet Passion, or my personal favorite, Robert Michell's remake of My Cousin Rachel, I would advise adding all of them to your watch list.

That is, if you like dimly lit estates populated by stuffy-dressed women with English accents. All of these films carry prominent themes of female repression, oppression, and empowerment. Lady Macbeth deals with these themes in a similar but much more cavalier manner.

Of course, her motivations stem from her being trapped in a loveless marriage with an impotent husband and his abusive father. In the form of a stable boy, she finds her liberation. However, her liberation is only the tipping point of her more repugnant nature.

The victim becomes the abuser, and, like the Shakespearean character with whom she shares a name, she sheds her passive nature in a ruthless pursuit of power. Many will often complain that these types of period pieces are slow paced, but this one just flies by.

Florence Pugh channels early Anthony Hopkins at times with her manic-to-meditative intensity, and each scene vacillates between a moving painting and crime scene. This is her movie, and she owns it from start to finish.

It is a tale told by a sociopath, full of sex and murder, signifying a good movie.