Years on from a traumatic event on the London Underground, theatre actor, Cordelia (Antonia Campbell-Hughes), is still struggling with anxiety and PTSD. It has rendered her an almost total recluse, with her spending all of her free time hiding out in her bedroom in the flat that she shares with her more vibrant and outgoing twin sister, Caroline (also played by Campbell-Hughes). After a chance encounter with her upstairs neighbour, Frank (Johnny Flynn), Cordelia begins to open herself up to new experiences once more. At the same time however, she believes herself the target of a crazed stalker, which casts doubts onto Frank’s intentions; before long, Cordelia’s fragile psyche begins to crumble once more.
Campbell-Hughes co-wrote the project, and her involvement means that the part of Cordelia has been cultivated and nurtured to showcase the intricacies of Campbell-Hughes’ craft. It’s not often that an actor gets so much input into their role, and the opportunity presented here has been embraced with open arms. The result is an intricately woven character, a tragic female figure riddled with survivor’s guilt, anxiety, and a repressed sexuality. Antonia Campbell-Hughes gets to fully demonstrate her range; tackling both sisters helps demonstrate her lighter and darker sides, though it is within her performance as Cordelia that she gets to fully convey her talent. When we first meet her, she is a truly broken husk, but as the film progresses, Campbell-Hughes begins to slowly strip away the character’s layers and expose glimpses of a pre-trauma Cordelia. Her chance encounter with Frank then opens things up further and Campbell-Hughes pushes the character forwards into some rather unexpected directions.
The dynamic between Campbell-Hughes and Johnny Flynn’s Frank is truly electric. From the moment they first meet, sparks fly, and their on-screen chemistry sizzles. There’s a distinct power imbalance to the relationship, Frank cock-sure and fancy-free, Cordelia timid and restrained, but it makes for compelling viewing, especially when Cordelia starts to come into herself once more and proves that once upon a time she would have eaten Frank for breakfast. It’s a relationship that is forever morphing, one filled with Hitchcockian levels of mistrust and intrigue, and one that seduces the viewer with its tangible darkness and danger.
Director Adrian Shergold opts to keep almost every aspect of Cordelia shrouded in mystique. We don’t even get a clear confirmation of what time period the events are occurring in. There’s an obvious modern setting, but one that is bathed with timeless elements. Some examples include the apartment the sister’s share, which screams Victorian Gothic, and their house phone (yes they have one of them) has a rotator dial. At the same time though, the exterior locales are most definitely modern London. It’s a well conceived aesthetic device that will enable Cordelia to stand the test of time; there’s nothing worse than a film which ties itself too closely to a particular moment in time.
Cordelia is a film steeped in mystery and to say too much would spoil the experience. Go in cold and prepare to be kept guessing the film’s true motives right until its dramatic conclusion.
Cordelia arrives in cinemas on Friday 23rd October 2020.
Cordelia
Summary
A deviously dark psychological thriller, Cordelia will get under your skin, unsettle, seduce, and engross, all in equal measure.
