Gyllenhaal’s directorial debut turns Elena Ferrante’s dark tale about a seemingly idyllic Greek beach holiday into a menacing riddle of the sands Maggie Gyllenhaal’s feature debut as writer-director is an impressively atmospheric piece of work – filled with longing and dread, and heavy with the anticipation of buried secrets about to be revealed. Deftly adapted from Elena Ferrante’s short source novel, it’s an enigmatic psychodrama that seems to teeter permanently on the brink of cataclysm. The fact that the plot itself stays largely within the confines of down-to-earth domestic reality merely amplifies the sense that we are wading into uncharted waters, and might at any moment be swept out to sea. Olivia Colman is in her element as Leda, a middle-aged woman on a beach vacation in Greece that she insists on calling a “working holiday”. Leda is a professor of languages, a woman who understands the nuances of translating poetry, but who remains distinctly tight-lipped about her own personal situation. At first she seems content to lounge in the sun with her books in what looks like a little corner of paradise. But there are irritants in this garden of Eden, from the giant bugs that fly in through the window at night to the rowdy family from Queens who pitch their loungers next to hers and expect Leda to move along. When she refuses to comply, their stares resemble threats – as if some terrible line has been crossed. In cinemas now and on Netflix from 31 December Continue reading...
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