Set in rural Northern England in the 1860’s Lady MacBeth tells the story of a young woman named Katherine (Florence Pugh) who is sold into marriage with an older man who demands she stay in the home whilst shunning her. But when both her husband and father-in-law leave on business matters Katherine finds a man who does take an interest in her. 

Based on a Russian novella written in 1865 by Nikolai Leskov and taking inspiration from Shakespeare’s MacBeth this film features the exact level of brutality and grim outlook on life that those two things might conjure in your imagination. 

Initially the focus is very much on the nature of a woman’s role in 19th century society. Katherine is sold to an older man, separated from her family, confined to their home and told what to do. Her husband (Paul Hilton) ignores her in the main and only requires her to stand naked against a wall as he masturbates when they are in their bedroom. Her father-in-law (Christopher Fairbank) meanwhile berates her for not providing a child to continue their line. Our sympathies for Katherine grow as we witness the lot she has been given. 

So when her husband and father-in-law go on their respective business trips and she can leave the house and do as she pleases we as the audience breathe a sigh of relief. Whilst her maid Anna (Naomi Ackie) implores for her to maintain a sense of decorum Katherine meets a man who works on their land named Sebastian (Cosmo Jarvis) who takes her breath away. We as the audience can only wait with bated breath as to where this relationship will lead and what will happen when Katherine’s ‘keepers’ return. 

I have been meaning to watch this film for quite some time and it is always interesting when you find yourself coming to something late and experiencing artists work in the incorrect chronological order. When Lady MacBeth released in 2016 its stars and director were fledglings in their fields. 

This was director William Oldroyd’s debut film. He has since gone on to make Eileen which I particularly enjoyed and which covers similar themes around the roles of women, how men keep them and the dark machinations that captivity nurtures. Florence Pugh, here in only her second feature shows just how brilliant an actress she is. Since then she has of course gone on to be a major Hollywood star. Cosmo Jarvis starred in the sublime TV series Shogun this year and is an excellent foil for Pugh. Whilst Naomi Ackie took the lead in this year’s Blink Twice. 

It is fascinating to watch so much talent converging together in a joint breakthrough piece of art. The result is as chilling as it is brisk (it runs at only 89 minutes).