THE OWNERS

OUT 1 MARCH / CERT 18 / 92 MINS

‘Robbery gone wrong’ is a familiar horror subgenre, but even if you think you know what to expect from French director Julius Berg’s astonishingly assured feature debut, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to predict more than one or two of the many twists and turns in this pitch-dark horror story, adapted from a Belgian graphic novel. Mary (Game Of Thrones’ Maisie Williams) cuts a largely sympathetic figure as an unwitting accomplice to the burglary of a remote country estate, being present only because her boyfriend Gaz (Jake Curran), who is one of the burglars, borrowed her car. So, when homeowners Sylvester Mccoy and Rita Tushingham return unexpectedly from an evening out and set about turning the tables on their tormentors, we can root for Mary as she is caught up in an escalating web of violence and horror. A very pleasant surprise, loaded with unpleasant surprises.