Director: Rebecca Daly
Talent: Antonia Campbell Hughes, Olwen Fouere, Sam Keeley, Cathy Belton
Release Date: March 16th
Arlene, a chronic sleepwalker and the daughter of a murdered mother, wakes up in a forest somewhere in the Irish midlands, beside a girl who has been killed: her interest in the case becomes a morbid obsession. The pace is moody and unhurried, the atmosphere low-key yet sinister. Antonia Campbell Hughes is perfect in the lead – her face, neither plain nor beautiful, anchors the action. Her finest – and most disturbing – moment comes when she breaks into the dead girl’s house and tries on one of her bras – this prompted an outbreak of horrified groans from the audience. The withholding of information adds to the air of ambiguity, yet it’s ultimately frustrating, especially in the abrupt and unsatisfying conclusion, which does not befit what is an otherwise impressive debut.
Words: Sam Coll
