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FANTASIA 2021

Review: Martyrs Lane

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- In her third feature, director Ruth Platt lets the right one in

Review: Martyrs Lane
Kiera Thompson and Sienna Sayer in Martyrs Lane

There is something very soothing about Ruth Platt’s Martyrs Lane [+see also:
interview: Ruth Platt
film profile
]
, world-premiering at Fantasia, with its old cemeteries and suspicious whispers heard only at night, and its general sense of elegant creepiness à la The Others – in short, this isn’t torture porn, so everyone can relax. Which is not to say it’s not upsetting, as this ghost story digs deep, emerging with the concept of grief as the source of all unrest. It’s something that just won’t let go and can be felt all around, even – or especially – when it’s not openly discussed. Which, at least in most households, is usually the case.

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Little Leah (Kiera Thompson) can certainly sense it, although she doesn’t quite understand its origins – exposed to her mother’s (Denise Gough) erratic behaviour, caused by something everyone else would rather forget, she grows up a nervous, quiet child. One that’s constantly surrounded by those aforementioned whispers, with people coming in and out of their gloomy-looking vicarage every day, bringing their own stories along as well as the occasional gesture of affection.

But affection is something that’s obviously missing here, in this home, and even though nobody hurts her, Leah still feels terribly lonely. Predictably, she turns to religion, fascinated by its tales or maybe just wanting to belong somewhere, as the ritual offers an easy escape from the anxiety-ridden house. This might also be why she isn’t exactly scared once she gains a night-time visitor (Sienna Sayer), tapping on her window with alarming regularity following a chance encounter in the forest. After all, the girl in question has wings, just like an angel, and a cherubic face. It can be nice sometimes, to have some company in the darkness. But the “angel” in question has plans, and there are specific requests that follow.

To reveal too much would be pointless, but these are two very impressive child performances that Platt achieves in the film, with Sayer already named this year’s Rising Star at the Montreal-based festival. She’s convincing yet still very subtle, although subtle appears to be Platt’s word of choice as a director. She really prefers to speak low, easily assuming a child’s point of view – one plagued by nightmares – and even though there are occasional jump scares, it’s still more melancholic than full-on terrifying. Unless someone is afraid of angels, that is. Or little girls with cherubic faces.

Martyrs Lane was produced by UK outfit Ipso Facto Productions. Its sales are handled by LevelK, with streaming service Shudder on board for North America, the UK, Ireland, Australia and New Zealand.

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