| Gwen | |
|---|---|
_Film_Poster.jpg) | |
| Directed by | William McGregor |
| Written by | William McGregor |
| Produced by | Hilary Bevan Jones |
| Starring | Maxine Peake Eleanor Worthington Cox |
| Cinematography | Adam Etherington |
| Edited by | Mark Towns |
| Music by | James Edward Barker |
Production company | BFI Endor Productions |
| Distributed by | AMC Networks |
Release date |
|
Running time | 86 minutes |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Languages | English Welsh |
Gwen is a 2018 Britishperiodfolkhorror drama film, incorporating elements ofgothic,supernatural, andpsychological horror. It was written and directed byWilliam McGregor. The film premiered at the 2018Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where lead actressEleanor Worthington Cox received the Festival's Rising Star award.[1] The film is produced byHilary Bevan Jones.[2]
Following its premiere,Gwen was acquired for distribution in the United States and other international markets.[3][4]
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In19th-centuryNorth Wales, Gwen, a young farm girl, lives with her mother and young sister, Mari. While playing outdoors, they pass a neighbouring farmhouse where a group of men are tending to some dead bodies who died ofcholera according to the village doctor.
Gwen is chastised by her mother for being late and for burning their supper. During the night, Gwen is awakened by a commotion outside, but is unable to see anything due to the stormy weather.
The next day, the family attends church. As they leave, Gwen's mother has a brief conversation with a man. On their return home, they find an animal heart nailed to their front door. The heart is thrown into the fireplace and appears to enter a trance. The following day, Gwen finds their crops have spoiled. That night, Gwen asks about the man her mother spoke to, and asks if she plans to sell the house, which her mother denies.
Soon after, Gwen sees her mother standing in the pasture among their sheep, all of which have been killed and mutilated. Investigating the house of the dead neighbours, Gwen sees bloody hand prints throughout the house and rotting food on the table, as if something sudden and violent had happened. The sheep were also mutilated. Later, Mother chastises Gwen for entering the house and refuses to listen when Gwen points out the similarities to their own situation.
Back at home, Mother suffers a violentseizure. At church, another seizure draws the attention of Dr Wren, who prescribestonic wine, noting that his practice is owned by the local quarry company. Back home, Gwen retrieves eggs from the hen but finds that a rat has destroyed the eggs. After supper, Gwen finds her mothercutting her own arms and collecting the blood in a bowl.
The following day, Gwen attempts to sell vegetables at the market. She notices the villagers ignoring her, while some give her odd, unsettling looks. As she returns home, a flash of lightning frightens her horse, which runs off. It later returns severely injured, and needs to be put down.
Men from the Quarry come to the farm. Gwen eavesdrops on the conversation with Mother, and hears them claiming Gwen stole the tonic and demanding to buy the lands from Mother. Mother sends them away and forces Gwen to butcher the horse as punishment. When Gwen refuses, Mother hacks off the horse's head with a hatchet, and has another seizure. Gwen later has a nightmare about her mother being possessed.
While reading a letter at her mother’s request, Gwen learns that her father will not return home, a fact her mother has concealed. That night, a man approaches the farmhouse with a dagger; in the ensuing struggle, Gwen and her mother kill him. Her mother orders the girls to flee, but the quarry men arrive, overpower her, andburn both her and the house.
Gwen and Mari escape into the hills. As they watch their home burn, Mari asks where they will go. Gwen replies that they will search for their father..
Before release,Screen International picked outGwen as one of the buzz titles from the UK to be seen at the American Film Market of 2018.[5]
Gwen was also featured in the Great8 program at theCannes Film Festival 2018, a showcase by theBritish Council of exciting new UK talent.[6]
Critical reception after the film's world premiere at theToronto International Film Festival was positive. The film became one of the festival's buzz titles, drawing praise for its folk horror roots and unnerving tone.
Review aggregator websiteRotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 71% based on 62 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The site's critics' consensus reads: "Gwen's relentlessly grim outlook may wear on some viewers, but it remains a reasonably gripping, solidly assembled descent into atmospheric period horror."[7]Metacritic reports a score of 63 based on 6 critics, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".[8]
Joe Lipsett ofBloody Disgusting gave the film a positive review: "Clever, beautiful and well-acted,Gwen proves to be an unexpected delight. It's a slow burn, but one worth seeking out."[9]