Gwen (film)

Gwen
Directed by	William McGregor
Written by	William McGregor
Produced by	Hilary Bevan Jones
Starring	Maxine Peake Eleanor Worthington Cox
Cinematography	Adam Etherington
Edited by	Mark Towns
Music by	James Edward Barker
Production company	BFI Endor Productions
Distributed by	AMC Networks
Release date	7 September 2018 (2018-09-07) (Toronto International Film Festival)
Running time	86 minutes
Country	United Kingdom
Languages	English Welsh

Gwen is a 2018 British period folk horror drama film, incorporating elements of gothic, supernatural, and psychological horror. It was written and directed by William McGregor. The film premiered at the 2018 Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF), where lead actress Eleanor Worthington Cox received the Festival's Rising Star award.^[1] The film is produced by Hilary Bevan Jones.^[2]

Following its premiere, Gwen was acquired for distribution in the United States and other international markets.^[3][4]

In 19th-century North Wales, Gwen, a young farm girl, lives with her mother and young sister, Mari. While playing outdoors, they pass a neighbouring farmhouse where a group of men are tending to some dead bodies who died of cholera according to the village doctor.

Gwen is chastised by her mother for being late and for burning their supper. During the night, Gwen is awakened by a commotion outside, but is unable to see anything due to the stormy weather.

The next day, the family attends church. As they leave, Gwen's mother has a brief conversation with a man. On their return home, they find an animal heart nailed to their front door. The heart is thrown into the fireplace and appears to enter a trance. The following day, Gwen finds their crops have spoiled. That night, Gwen asks about the man her mother spoke to, and asks if she plans to sell the house, which her mother denies.

Soon after, Gwen sees her mother standing in the pasture among their sheep, all of which have been killed and mutilated. Investigating the house of the dead neighbours, Gwen sees bloody hand prints throughout the house and rotting food on the table, as if something sudden and violent had happened. The sheep were also mutilated. Later, Mother chastises Gwen for entering the house and refuses to listen when Gwen points out the similarities to their own situation.

Back at home, Mother suffers a violent seizure. At church, another seizure draws the attention of Dr Wren, who prescribes tonic wine, noting that his practice is owned by the local quarry company. Back home, Gwen retrieves eggs from the hen but finds that a rat has destroyed the eggs. After supper, Gwen finds her mother cutting her own arms and collecting the blood in a bowl.

The following day, Gwen attempts to sell vegetables at the market. She notices the villagers ignoring her, while some give her odd, unsettling looks. As she returns home, a flash of lightning frightens her horse, which runs off. It later returns severely injured, and needs to be put down.

Men from the Quarry come to the farm. Gwen eavesdrops on the conversation with Mother, and hears them claiming Gwen stole the tonic and demanding to buy the lands from Mother. Mother sends them away and forces Gwen to butcher the horse as punishment. When Gwen refuses, Mother hacks off the horse's head with a hatchet, and has another seizure. Gwen later has a nightmare about her mother being possessed.

While reading a letter at her mother’s request, Gwen learns that her father will not return home, a fact her mother has concealed. That night, a man approaches the farmhouse with a dagger; in the ensuing struggle, Gwen and her mother kill him. Her mother orders the girls to flee, but the quarry men arrive, overpower her, and burn both her and the house.

Gwen and Mari escape into the hills. As they watch their home burn, Mari asks where they will go. Gwen replies that they will search for their father..

• Eleanor Worthington Cox as Gwen
• Maxine Peake as Elen
• Richard Harrington as Edward Morris
• Mark Lewis Jones as Mr Wynne
• Kobna Holdbrook-Smith as Doctor Wren
• Christopher Bonford as extra

Before release, Screen International picked out Gwen as one of the buzz titles from the UK to be seen at the American Film Market of 2018.^[5]

Gwen was also featured in the Great8 program at the Cannes Film Festival 2018, a showcase by the British Council of exciting new UK talent.^[6]

Critical reception after the film's world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival was positive. The film became one of the festival's buzz titles, drawing praise for its folk horror roots and unnerving tone.

Review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes reports an approval rating of 71% based on 62 reviews, with an average rating of 6.6/10. The site's critics' consensus reads: "Gwen's relentlessly grim outlook may wear on some viewers, but it remains a reasonably gripping, solidly assembled descent into atmospheric period horror."^[7] Metacritic reports a score of 63 based on 6 critics, indicating "Generally favorable reviews".^[8]

Joe Lipsett of Bloody Disgusting gave the film a positive review: "Clever, beautiful and well-acted, Gwen proves to be an unexpected delight. It's a slow burn, but one worth seeking out."^[9]

• Gwen at IMDb