Lady Macbeth (MA). Director: William Oldroyd. Starring: Florence Pugh, Cosmo Jarvis, Naomi Ackie, Christopher Fairbank, Paul Hilton. 89 minutes
The evocation in the title of one of the Bard's most famous tragic characters is mostly emblematic. Catherine (Pugh), the anti-hero of this psychologically disturbing British period drama, is not averse to scheming, manipulation, and even violence when circumstances call for it, in pursuit of her goals. But unlike her Shakespearean predecessor, there is no incapacitating remorse in store for her.
Lady Macbeth of the Mtsensk District, the 1865 Nikolai Leskov novella on which the film is based, contains echoes of Flaubert's Madame Bovary, which had been published almost a decade before. Its central figure Katerina foreshadows Lady Chatterley too, which was still over half a century away. All three examine the pursuit of actualisation by women in repressive societies, through sexuality and self-agency.
In Oldroyd's hands, Leskov's story becomes an examination of power — who has it, how it can be gained by those who lack it, how it is used once it is attained — that feels thoroughly modern, despite its late 19th century setting. He transplants the action from rural Russia to chilly Northumberland, whose wind-wracked hills and fields enhance the sense of alienation that tortures Catherine.
She arrives a new bride, along with her husband Alexander (Hilton), to take up residence in a luxurious homestead owned by her father-in-law Boris (Fairbank). Quickly we get a sense of how little control she has over her destiny. Alexander demands she remain inside the house at all times; when one evening she wishes to go to bed early, Boris orders her to remain awake until her husband is ready to join her.
She seems part of the furniture, literally; there is a recurring image of her sitting alone on a sofa, centrally placed within the frame, surrounded by her keepers' opulent possessions, as ornamental as a china doll. Her maid Anna (Ackie), too, treats her like an ornament, to be brushed and cleaned and vigorously girdled with no concern for the young woman's physical comfort.
At night, lack of sexual fulfilment is added to the boredom and angst of Catherine's days. Alexander's treatment of her in this regard further underscores her role in the household as an attractive object. On their wedding night he watches her disrobe then climbs into bed with his back to her. Later he makes her stand naked against a wall while