Mad Men’s Elisabeth Moss delivers an electrifying performance as a woman in the throes of a mental breakdown in the claustrophobic, emotionally intense psychodrama Queen of Earth.
The mood is akin to Ingmar Bergman’s Persona or Roman Polanski’s Repulsion. So don’t watch expecting a barrel of laughs. You might, though, detect hints of dark comedy.
Moss’s Catherine has come to visit her childhood friend Ginny (Katherine Waterston) at her wealthy family’s remote lake house, seeking solace after being ditched by her boyfriend in the wake of her artist father’s suicide.
"A Job’s comforter"
Slim hope. A Job’s comforter if ever there was, the snippy Ginny, abetted by sardonic neighbour Rich (Patrick Fugit), only adds to Catherine’s pain.
No one in writer-director Alex Ross Perry’s film is remotely likeable, which may be a turn off for some viewers. But Moss is mesmerising, and the less showy Waterston proves a worthy foil.
Certificate 15. Runtime 90 mins. Director Alex Ross Perry
Queen of Earth debuts on Sky Cinema Premiere on Sunday 30 April. Available on Blu-ray/DVD from Eureka!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lzPgN8eEI-c
