Four out of
Five stars
Running time:
86 mins
Impressively directed and superbly written, this is an emotionally engaging, powerfully tense British drama with a trio of terrific performances from all three leads.
What's it all about?
Written and directed by D R Hood, Wreckers stars Clare Foy and Benedict Cumberbatch as Dawn and David, a recently married couple who have moved back to his dilapidated family home in the countryside in order to try and start a family. However, their seemingly idyllic existence is interrupted by the arrival of David's unstable ex-army younger brother Nick (Shaun Evans) and it's not long before long-buried secrets are coming to light, causing Dawn to wonder just how well she really knows her husband.
The Good
Claire Foy is hypnotically beautiful as Dawn, delivering a heartbreakingly fragile performance that is extremely moving to watch. Benedict Cumberbatch is equally good as David, his initial cheery take-charge persona gradually revealing something much darker, while Shaun Evans (cast effectively against type – he usually plays cheeky Scousers) is excellent as Nick, managing to walk a creepily effective tightrope between emotionally damaged vulnerability and something more sinister.
In addition, there's strong support from Peter McDonald and Sinead Matthews as Dawn and David's married friends Gary and Sharon, whose relationship is also impacted by Nick's arrival.
The Great
Hood's script maintains a high level of tension throughout, cleverly teasing out information by clinging to Dawn's point of view but also resisting the urge to over-explain everything and leaving the audience to draw their own conclusions as to the full nature of David and Nick's past. To that end, the dialogue is both believable and effective (the occasional wobbly line aside) and Hood also pulls off an impressively bold final scene that delivers a satisfyingly sharp emotional sting.
On top of that, the film is also beautifully shot, courtesy of Annemarie Lean-Vercoe's colourful cinematography, which makes strong use of both the gorgeous British countryside and some uncharacteristically sunny weather.
Worth seeing?
Emotionally engaging, powerfully tense and superbly acted, Wreckers is a well made, sharply written British drama that marks writer-director D R Hood out as a talent to watch. Recommended.