Review by
Eric Hillis
Directed by: Philip Stevens
Starring: Hannah Douglas, Emmett J Scanlan, Sebastian De Souza
Patience is the name of the central character in director
Philip Stevens' feature debut Lapwing. It's also a virtue you'll need in strong supply if you're to make it
through this gruelling piece of medieval misery porn. Like many of the
films of Lars Von Trier, Lapwing heaps abuse on a
vulnerable female protagonist, but with none of the artistry or
imagination of Von Trier on show it's a dispiriting and empty
experience.
The film takes place on the windswept Lincolnshire coast of 1555.
England's Queen Mary I has passed the Egyptians Act, which demands all
"Egyptians", i.e gypsies, must either renounce their lifestyle or leave
England's shores. Salt farmer David (Emmett J Scanlan) has struck
a deal with one group of gypsies, taking payment and allowing them to
camp nearby until a boat arrives to take them out of the country. What
the gypsies don’t know is that David plans to betray them.
That sure sounds like a premise that resonates with today's situation
on the English coast, with David posited as a 16th century cousin of the
sort of opportunists exploiting asylum seekers' desperation to cross the
English Channel. The film surprisingly never leans into this aspect,
focussing instead on the aforementioned Patience (Hannah Douglas), David's semi-mute sister-in-law.
Patience falls for a handsome young gypsy, Rumi (Sebastian De Souza), which inspires rage in David, who has long had his eye on the young
woman, along with the other men in his camp. A gritty riff on Romeo
& Juliet follows, with Patience bearing the physical brunt of
David's jealousy.
Giving the heroine a disability adds an extra layer of what feels like
unnecessary cruelty to an already dour watch. It's a cheap way of
getting the audience to sympathise with Patience, as the script by
Laura Turner never really gives her much in the way of a
personality beyond being a one-note victim. Douglas is admittedly very
good, but it's all a bit Simple Jack.
Douglas's largely silent performance is countered by Scanlan's foaming
at the mouth antics. He's so over the top that he often drags the movie
into the realm of camp. Scanlan performs with an Irish accent, which
undermines the film's cultural setting. If 16th century England is this
xenophobic, how would an Irishman be able to hold a community under his
control?
When the broadly written and performed characters are kept in the
distance, Lapwing offers images of stark beauty courtesy
of cinematographer Stewart MacGregor. Lee Gretton's score
works overtime to create the sort of mood the script and direction
botch.
Mixing Shakespeare with folk horror and the Manson Family sounds like a
winning idea, but in Lapwing it results in an over-cooked
stew that leaves a sour taste. If you're looking for insight into
England's history of xenophobia, you won’t find much depth in this
superficial drama.
