EYE FOR AN EYE

MAGPIE

2024 / 90 min / color

Annette and Ben are a married couple who have left the hustle and bustle of London behind, moving out to the country. Ben thought he would find the perfect environment to write his next book there, while Annette could focus on raising their two children. But when we meet them everything is starting to go wrong. Ben is completely self-involved; Annette is increasingly frustrated, and it gets worse when their older daughter gets an opportunity to act in a film alongside Alicia, a successful, attractive actress. Annette feels jealous and angry — not toward the opportunity that little Tilly has been given, but because of her husband’s disturbing interest in this new woman. This neo-noir is primarily a study of the mental condition of an agitated woman and the consequences of this state. Outstanding performances by Daisy Ridley and Shazad Latif give shape to the tension in Magpie, due in no small part to Sam Yates, making his debut film — he’s a highly regarded British theater director whose play Vanya, starring Andrew Scott (a guest at a previous edition of the Mastercard OFF Camera festival), enjoyed huge acclaim.