Gwen is a young girl whose life seems to be collapsing around her. Struggling with her mother’s mysterious illness, her father’s absence and a group of angry villagers threatening to take her farm, Gwen must find the strength to guide her family through the darkness. But as a malevolent presence begins to take a grip of her home, it becomes apparent there is a greater evil that may be too strong to overcome.
First things first, I did the smart thing and watched this in the morning. The cover of “Gwen” suggested that this was a gruesome and horror-filled flick that would have me scared out of my pants. Instead, what we got was an art film about grief and family relationships, with a sprinkle of terror.
Eleanor Worthington-Cox plays Gwen, a teen who is dealing with the recent ailment of her mother (Maxine Peake) while taking care of her little sister. While already dealing with her internal family issues, a sinister presence has made its way into her household. The performances we get from the entire cast is great. Worthington-Cox does a fine job leading the pack but the standout for me was Peake’s performance. Her character is this ill, on-edge but trying to stay composed character that I think she brings to life brilliantly. The film itself reminded me heavily of the film “The Witch” as this horror film that takes its time, maybe with a little bit more liberty than it should. The first act of the film is slow and doesn’t have anything its really telling from a narrative standpoint. The second act begins to unravel the film with its storyline but it still moves at a snail’s pace. So almost halfway in, I began to look at my watch. The story, not having a lot going for itself, was a downer for me (and I am not opposed to slow burns). I just felt like if we were going to be moving at this rate, give me great character moments and nuggets of intriguing story predicaments. The last act of the movie is when everything hits the fan and the scares and action slap you in the face. While I did enjoy the terror and horror at the backend of the film, I did feel the first two acts brought down the overall enjoyment of the movie.
However, the direction of William McGregor and the way he tells the story is far from a downer. The setting of the film is in the middle of nowhere Wales and I genuinely felt like I was there. McGregor is not afraid to use silence or quiet which adds to the atmosphere of the movie. The cinematography, especially, is the biggest marvel from a technical standpoint. Within the first two frames, I knew the type of filmmaking I was encountering and I loved it. The grey color palette added to the blandness of the film which I thought was fitting. The score didn’t blow me away, it was too similar to other films of this ilk and I was somewhat disappointed but that was fine since a lot ambiance was used throughout. From the behind-the-camera aspect, two thumbs up.
All in all, if you are looking for a random scary movie to watch this may not be the one but if you are looking for a well-made film that leads to a big climax, then this would be right up your alley. I think with a more energetic script, William McGregor could really make a name soon.
Available on Blu-ray and DVD October 8th
