Lapwing

England, 1555. A young mute woman (Hannah Douglas) struggles to survive in her outcast clan, due to the lascivious advances of their leader ("Peaky Blinders"'s Emmett J. Scanlan). Goodness this is not a comfortable watch, and I should mention there are very triggering scenes of sexual assault (so be warned). The story gives me "Breaking the Waves" (1996) meets "the Piano" (1993); with a captivating lead performance of the mute Douglas; helpless in the male dominated clan. She is brilliant; and the segmentation of the story is very cool. And there is lot to take away from the commentary of the film, the cleverness of a literally 'silenced woman' of the past in a post #MeToo world is very creative; though Scanlan's central antagonist needed fleshing out. Why is he their leader? What skills put him in-charge? At points his embodiment of toxic masculinity is very one-note and lacking subtlety. This is a low budget feature film, probably with very limited resources; so when I say the cinematography is GORGEOUS in parts, I'm taking Hollywood level beautiful. Whoever Stewart MacGregor is, my word, he's talented... BOOK HIM NOW!!! For an independent film I was utterly impressed, and forgive a lot of understandable limitations on low budget features (a few of the minor roles were... just not believable). Though independent or not I was disappointed the film triggered my CUNF rule (completely unnecessary nude female). It was pointless and made little sense beyond objectification. A very, very commendable and thought provoking drama. Just quite grim and traumatising in parts.

A landscape we would normally associate with warmth, life and peace - the beach/sea, is represented as one that is cold, bleak and to be feared. Lapwing is set in this exposed beach setting where a sense of claustrophobia surrounds us and, like the community he leads, we feel we cannot seem to escape from the protagonist, David's (Emmet J. Scanlon) menacing character.

Structured in three parts, the film reveals David's dominating, controlling presence over a small, salt-farming community and the Egyptian family who want safe passage, whilst revealing a cruel disposition towards Patience (Hannah Douglas), his sister-in-law who is dumb.

She also suffers at the hands of the other male character, Jacob (Lewis Gemmill) and there is a sense of irony that both male characters names are biblical - ones we'd normally associate with being spiritual and holy. We sense both men's repressed desire for Patience who has no voice to speak about the mental and physical abuse she suffers.

Director, Philip Stevens, has skilfully adapted a fine script from the writer, Laura Turner, to present a deeply disturbing character study. The film is shot in mostly natural lighting, but we feel a sense of foreboding with the dark brooding clouds over the sunsets, captured exquisitely by cinematographer, Stewart MacGregor. The film deals with themes of loneliness, prejudice and marginalisation shown by the landscape and character types.

All the actors project very strong and memorable performances that are harrowing and hard to view in some scenes. Although historical in context, the story has themes that resonate with us in the present day. It leaves us with a resolution, and hope. A great film.

Lapwing is a beautifully haunting film that tells a powerful and emotionally resonant story with real sensitivity and depth. Set in 16th-century England, it explores themes of love, isolation, prejudice, and survival in a brutal and unforgiving world. The performances are incredibly captivating, especially from the lead actress, whose silent strength and emotional presence speak volumes without a single word. The cinematography is breathtaking, with striking visuals that capture the raw beauty and harshness of the setting. A moving, poetic period drama that lingers in the mind and heart long after it ends.

The harshness of some critics astounds me. I am not involved with this production in any way, I am not giving it 10/10, I'm giving it an honest assessment.

A quiet, melancholy film about outsiders. The 'Civilised British' of this film are a group of religious fanatics exploiting those even lower in society than them. Living in tents and eking out an existance farming salt on the bleak Lincolnshire coast hardly makes you a part of society, yet they are still able to make profit off those even worse off than themselves.

The fact that Hannah Douglas has a stammer so severe she is functionally mute, and when she tries to speak she 'screeches like a lapwing' literalises the fact that for so many people throughout so much of history having a voice was not an option. When you can't speak, you can't speak up.

Emmett J Scanlan is a typical cult leader, in that he maintains his power through charisma and control, but what happens when the charisma stops working? Drinking more heavily through the course of the film starts things unravelling. Is he drinking because his control is slipping or is his control slipping therefore he's drinking? Either way it's a portrait of a man no longer in control of himself or others, and in my opinion it works well.

A touch more fatalistic acceptance of the way her life has gone from Hannah Douglas might have been in order and a few more happy interactions with Sebastian De Souza would have been nice, but overall a bleak, heart rending film that worked well on me.

Showcasing 1500's England as an undeniably grim and grubby place to call home, debut director Philip Steven's small-scale but often impressively shot independent film aimed to replicate recent female centred period affairs such as The Witch, The Nightingale and Lady Macbeth and while it never quite manages to operate at the same standards as those noteworthy features, there's enough going on here to suggest a viewing and that all those involved have what it takes to bring it to the next level in the feature film landscape.

Following Hannah Douglas's mute and troubled Patience, who lives out an unenviable existence alongside her sister and perma-drunk brother in law David (a menacing and mumbling Emmett J Scanlan) as salt farmers in the unforgiving lands of 1555 England, Lapwing rarely if ever pauses for any moments of humour or fun as Patience finds potential love and salvation in the form of Sebastian De Souza's gypsy Rumi, who has been shunned by a recent royal decree and banished from being a part of the English society.

Shot in a Malick-lite way by cinematographer Stewart MacGregor and scored moodily by composer Lee Gretton, Stevens film which was born from screenwriter Laura Turner's raw and uncompromising script, never truly manages to nail its blending of genres that moves from hard drama, attempted trial against the odds love story and nerve shredding thriller, with Stevens aiming to cover some big ground in both scope and themes (religion, violence,bigotry etc) in his film that was shot over the period of a few weeks in the picturesque countryside of Lincolnshire.

While these various elements never click in a way that would've elevated Lapwing into one of those few independent films that manages to break out in a big way (a rare thing to do for films of this ilk in the post-Covid feature landscape) there's enough impressive components here that should please viewers willing to go on the dark journey the film and Patience go on as the horrors of David's oppressive guidance and the time in which we find these characters in makes themselves more apparent.

Unable to work with words, Douglas's turn as Patience is sure to capture the eye of those in the know and one would expect bright things from the budding star who shines brightest despite some solid if unremarkable work from her main co-stars Scanlan and De Souza and as the brief sub-90 minute runtime wears on you can't help but root for Patience to find her place in a world that seems hellbent on ensuring her life is as hard as it can get, leading to a tension riddled climax to a film that deserves to find a willing and accepting audience.

Final Say -

Not an uplifting experience but one that showcases a warts and all examination of a time and place that knew little in the way of acceptance or forgiveness, Lapwing is a solid debut from director Philip Stevens who gives his main star Hannah Douglas a notable canvas to launch her career from.

3 bags of salt out of 5

Jordan and Eddie (The Movie Guys)