Lady Macbeth Film Review – Deep, Dark and Definitely Worth-Watching

Lady Macbeth based on Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District by Nikolai Leskov is a dark and vicious tale. In the Lady Macbeth film review, we take a look at this neo-noir that is bound to ruffle a few feathers.

Stifled by her life with her husband away and all the estate to herself, Katherine has an affair with a worker. She will not have any other way but hers. Her father-in-law is a stern old man who imposes his ways on her, and Katherine deplores this. Eventually, she will not stop at anything to get what she wants. Is it love that she is after or she wants more than that? Lady Macbeth unfolds ominously to reveal the dark side of Katherine.

The charm of Lady Macbeth lies in its being faithful to what it wants to convey. It’s a noir piece, and it doesn’t sidestep from that even for a moment. All along, the unsettling mind of Katherine unfolds as the audience is left glued to their seats. As Katherine descends into an unstoppable downward spiral, we realize how maniacal she can be. The fact the Lady Macbeth makes the audience uneasy is its real triumph. It slowly creeps onto you. There aren’t too many characters. Also, you don’t have a profusion of dialogue. What we have here are a lot of cold stares and uneasy looks that make you uncomfortable while conveying to you the tone of the film.

Florence Pugh as Katherine is a revelation. It is not an easy role to enact, and she does it with aplomb. To her credit, Florence doesn’t make you feel as if her character is mentally unstable. In fact, it is entirely possible that she is longing for freedom, and as a result of that, she takes certain drastic measures. However, as the film progresses, Florence pushes the envelope just that much for the viewer to sense that something is amiss with her. There is a discernible difference in the way she behaves, and we see her state gradually deteriorate.

The ending of the film is especially moving and works on multiple levels. If you are wondering why I haven’t mentioned anything about the setting as yet, it is because there is so much in the narrative to keep you occupied. Nevertheless, each scene is carefully executed, bearing in mind the backdrop. Both the interior and exterior shots are well-crafted giving the movie an authentic Victorian-era vibe.

If you want to see a slow but engaging, dark movie, Lady Macbeth has got to be the one for you. William Oldroyd’s directorial debut is nothing short of genuinely gripping.

Lady Macbeth film review gives Lady Macbeth 4 out of 5 stars

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