Home Entertainment: ’Glasshouse’ digital review

Having spent the better part of last year touring the virtual festival circuit, Kelsey Egan’s directorial feature debut, Glasshouse, arrives on Digital Platforms today. Co-written with Emma Lungiswa De Wet, Glasshouse is a genre-bending slice of period drama, science-fiction dystopia, and coming-of-age tale that captures your attention from the outset with its wonderful weirdness. 

Set in an undisclosed time when the population has been ravaged by an airborne virus called ‘The Shred’, Glasshouse tells of one family’s struggle to survive. The virus is referred to as ‘The Shred’ due to it stripping the host of their memories, rendering them vacant and vapid vessels. A trio of sisters: Bee (Jessica Alexander), Evie (Anja Taljaard) and Daisy (Kitty Harris), their brother Gabe (Brent Vermeulen ) and their mother (Adrienne Pearce), exist in isolation within the glasshouse of the title. Their existence is filled with routine and rituals, all of which are devices by Mother to keep their brains alert and their memories active. They live by a simple set of rules, but when the first of them – never let a stranger in – is broken, the girls begin to uncover secrets of the past that will have devastating consequences on everyone’s future. 

Egan doesn’t waste any time and, having spent only ten minutes with Bee, Evie, and Daisy, immediately introduces the troublesome stranger (Hilton Pelser). The introduction of the man threatens to throw the well-balanced order into disarray, as he immediately catches the attention of the romantic Bee. Her clear desire for him causes friction with the middle sister – the sensible Evie As the two sisters clash, the stranger gains further control. This man is a prisoner and will stop at nothing to get out of his situation and as his devious game of manipulation begins, even the audience will be questioning the validity of his words. The new addition to the household is the very definition of a silver-tongued charmer. If the girls’ oasis could be viewed as Eden, then he is most certainly the snake sent to tempt them. 

The inability to lock down the time period for Glasshouse is just one of its many tantalising mysteries. The obvious reading is that the story is taking place some time in the future and that the girls and their mother have raided the deep closets of a nearby historic manor for some more decadent dressings. Another reading is that the story actually plays out in the period setting, as there is little to indicate things were ever remotely modern. Either reading makes for an enterprising setting, one that forms the perfect backdrop for a family history rife with secrets. 

The story presented is one of survival, but it doesn’t line up with the traditional expectations of what that means. Much of Glasshouse is clouded in mystery and as wisps are ripped away and truths slowly revealed, everything takes on new meaning, forcing the viewer to reassess everything they had thought to that moment. Egan and Lungiswa De Wet are deliberately vague for most of the story and when their intentions finally materialise, it hits the viewer like a freight train. The method for survival is complicated, but makes perfect sense within the world that has been built. 

At the heart of everything are the sisters. Each has their own view on the world; elder sister Bee is the dreamer, having shirked the responsibility typically laid on the first-born, which means that this falls onto the shoulders of Evie. Evie is the responsible sister, the most straight-laced and hardened by the bitter world in which they are surviving and the pressure to maintain everyone is threatening to cripple her. Youngest sister Daisy is innocent and obedient, needing the structure of the strict rules in order to distract from the nightmare at their door. The interplay between all three is excellent, but the work of both Alexander and Taljaard is exceptional. They play off of one another perfectly and it is quickly easy to believe the two are sisters battling for the position at the top of the hierarchy. 

Overtly feminine with its dressings and costumes, there’s a strong twang of Sofia Coppola to Egan approach to filmmaking. There’s an elegance to everything that exudes Marie Antoinette luxury, which is coupled with a fascinating set of sisters to rival The Virgin Suicides, all set within an environiment not too dissimilar to The Beguiled. What sets Egan and Glasshouse apart from Coppola though is the inclusion of the strange dystopian elements. They immediately catch your attention and there’s something about the juxtaposition of bonnets and corsets against an apocalypse backdrop that is exciting. Egan further pushes away by being unafraid to touch on some taboo topics, some of which will leave viewers unsettled and uncomfortable. 

The indulgent trappings add to the ethereal and mysterious nature of the piece and leave Glasshouse as a truly tantalising fusion of unexpected parts. An eye-opening debut accompanied by some excellent lead performances, Glasshouse seduces and scandalises with its unique brand of mystique.  

Signature Entertainment presents Glasshouse on Digital Platforms 7th February.