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Youngster defies her age in terrific turn
Slow-burn mystery’s pay-off a bit flat
British director Ruth Platt expands her 2019 short film into full-length territory with this supernatural mystery.
It focuses on a family living in a vicarage, in particular young Leah (Kiera Thompson) and her attempt to discover why her mum Sarah (Denise Gough) is so sad and distant.
Right from the off it’s clear this isn’t a happy household as Leah is tormented by nightmares and her mean older sister Bex (Hannah Rae), while curiosity surrounds a cryptic locket.
Creepy sound design features a kid whispering and panicked breathing and much of the flick is bathed in darkness.
There aren’t many child-led movies but Martyrs Lane definitely counts as one with Thompson in virtually every scene.
And her work is astonishing, especially for one so young, as she gasps, frowns, laughs and cries her way into our hearts throughout her investigation.
Platt knows she has a remarkable talent on her hands as her camera is often at Thompson’s eye level, or below, and frequently zooms in on the youngster’s emotion-laden face.
Playful chats between Leah and a nighttime visitor slowly become more sinister in scenes reminiscent of Let the Right One In.
Platt’s film is very slow burn, which may test people’s patience, as the storyline threads unravel but every now and then she pops in an uncomfortable break in the sedate surroundings, like a jarring house visit that sucks the life out of Sarah.
We get a possible reason for Bex’s earlier nasty behaviour as Platt fleshes her character out but A Discovery of Witches’ Steven Cree doesn’t do much other than blend into the background as Leah’s dad Thomas.
After such a carefully laid out buildup, the final revelation doesn’t quite live up to potential expectations you’ve had going through your mind.
I also wasn’t a big fan of a few elements of the finale, although the movie ends with a beautifully shot, poignant final scene.
●What are your favourite horror movies of the year thus far? Pop me an email at ian.bunting@reachplc.com and I will pass on your comments – and any other movie or TV show recommendations you have – to your fellow readers.
Stephen Raskin said: “Ms Marvel on Disney+ is a lot of fun and brings something different, with a younger character, to Marvel’s output.”