LADY
Samuel Abraham‘s feature-length directorial debut LADY is an unhinged portrait of identity and connection. This magical realism mockumentary comedy follows isolated English aristocrat Isabella Ravenhyde as she invites an ambitious filmmaker and his small crew to film her and her vast estate for Netflix. Within minutes of their arrival, it is quickly revealed to be a ruse. Co-host of an annual talent show for underprivileged youth called Stately Stars, Isabella believes that if she can win her own competition, Netflix will surely take notice.
Very suddenly, Isabella’s hands disappear. Caught on camera, Sam believes this is his one shot to cash in on this strange occurrence and make a one-of-a-kind film. The translucency climbs, but Isabella refuses to see a doctor. She is hell-bent on finding her path to success through experimental performance art.
The more Sam examines Isabella’s footage and her odd behavior, the more enamored he becomes with her enigmatic existence, blurring the lines between subject and filmmaker.
Laurie Kynaston is charming and easy-going as Sam. He is a delightful foil for Isabella’s unwavering whimsy. Kynaston’s vulnerability is only matched by his co-star. Sian Clifford is diabolically delicious. A purely eccentric performance akin to Grey Gardens. Her nuanced idiocracies and unresolved trauma all play a role in Izzy. A freight train of narcissism and caricature behavior, Clifford delivers sheer comedic brilliance.
The handheld camerawork is equally dizzying and entrancing. Cinematographer Korsshan Schlauer and editor Josh Mallalieu keep your eyes darting from one corner of the screen to the other with beautiful imagery and gorgeous framing.
Filmed entirely on location at Somerleyton Hall in Suffolk, England, with production design straight out of Architectural Digest. Costumes are both remarkably wacky and incredibly elegant.
The film is a unique metaphor for feeling seen and a surprising meditation on grief; it is inarguably one of the year’s best films. LADY dazzles with its sumptuous setting, hilarious premise, and Sian Clifford’s tour de force turn. It is relentlessly quirky, ultimately overflowing with heart
Release: Theatrical in NY on 10/2 and LA on 10/9
Writer/Director: Samuel Abrahams
Writer: Miranda Campbell Bowling
Cast: Sian Clifford, Laurie Kynaston, Juliet Cowan, Olisa Odele, Jacob Masterson, Autumn Halse, Emma Buckworth, Olivia Norton
Producers: Anna Mohr-Pietsch, Stewart le Maréchal
Executive Producers: Jonny Persey, Maggie Glastonbury, Sean O’Shea, Tom Balkwill
Genre: Comedy, Mockumentary
Rating: Unrated
Run-time: 95 minutes
The mockumentary style is unbelievably hilarious. Every single cast member is a damn laugh riot. I don’t know how much of this film is improvised and how much is scripted, either way, you will be entertained from start to finish. Handheld camera work and snarky voiceovers push 15 Things to some next-level hilarity, but also a legit gorgeous looking movie. The editing and cinematography are ridiculously stunning. If you put it on mute, you’d never know the difference between this and Vice. It’s scary good. Is this the first of a franchise for these guys? I would not be mad at that. 15 You Didn’t Know About Bigfoot is now available In Theaters + on VOD. 
There is no female equivalent for the phrase “Ballsy”. What would that even look like? Lippy? I BLAME SOCIETY is extra lippy. Starring as a version of herself, filmmaker Gillian Wallace Horvat says all the quiet parts out loud. Then she acts on them just to make a point. And goddamnit, virtual high five from me. This script is unapologetic, bold, and genuinely hilarious. It’s the “die for your art” meets “tell me I can’t and see what happens” mashup I didn’t know I wanted. Highlighting the ridiculously misogynistic side of the industry in the smartest ways. When the phrases, “This is a really big opportunity for you!” “You’re like the female him!” “We need an ally on your side!” I died laughing and I died inside. But the film also tackles social media, communication, and ambition all inside a twisted presentation of Dexter-esque mayhem.
The pace leading to murderous activities works so well to build up a tense WTF feeling. It’s just so imaginative and absolutely terrifying. You get to a point where you stop thinking it’s funny and start genuinely worrying about everyone she encounters. Wallace Horvat is awesome. I wanna hang out with her in real-life and make fun of everything that she makes fun of in this film. She knows exactly what she’s doing even as she leads you to believe otherwise. She has an overtly narcissistic sociopath nuance to “Gillian” and nothing short of that would have worked as well. When she references makeover sequences, I laughed out loud and then immediately gasped exclaiming, “Holy Shit! That’s her actual hair!” When you see it you’ll fully understand.
The DIY look of the camerawork makes it even more relatable, especially after last week’s Twitter battle claiming “you can’t make a film with just an iPhone.” I BLAME SOCIETY is a giant middle finger to still male-dominated and faux #MeToo accountability in Hollywood. And not just the film industry. I’ve been on the other end of these conversations, yes in writing rooms and screening rooms, but also retail jobs, teaching jobs, do I need to go on? Even outside that theme, I BLAME SOCIETY is for every single person obsessed with true crime yelling at the TV, “The Husband did it,” or “You know what I would have done…” We get to sit back, relax, and watch someone else live out our darkest fantasies and that’s satisfying and entertaining.
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