Time: 89 Minutes
Age Rating: R16 – Violence, offensive language & sex scenes
Cast:
Florence Pugh as Katherine Lester
Cosmo Jarvis as Sebastian
Naomi Ackie as Anna
Christopher Fairbank as Boris Lester
Director: William Oldroyd

I didn’t know much about Lady Macbeth, just that it was good, mainly that it’s one of Florence Pugh’s earliest performances, and it’s not an adaptation of Macbeth the play. It lived up to all the praise. 

It’s a very quiet and minimalist movie which moves pretty steadily. However, it’s not as straightforward as it first seems, it was unpredictable and not what I was expecting. Without getting too into spoilers, it is a rather chilling and bleak movie especially, with the turns that it takes.

Florence Pugh is incredible in this, giving one of the best performances I’ve seen from her. The movie really hinges on her powerhouse acting and she absolutely delivers. Her character initially has our sympathies with the situation that she’s stuck in at the beginning, but that is tested over the course of the movie. She is captivating to watch, embodying her character well, and commands presence. I think it is worth watching the movie for her performance alone. The rest of the performances are good too, including Cosmo Jarvis and especially Naomi Ackie.

The direction from William Oldroyd is great, this is an incredible first film from him. It’s strong on a technical level, with it really working as a period piece, very well shot and with great production designs and costumes. So much of the movie feels effectively oppressive with the environments.

Lady Macbeth is bleak, a slow burn, and hard to watch at points but it is greatly written and directed, and well acted, particularly by a fantastic Florence Pugh in her best performance to date.