Magpie
What fortitude does Annette possess, who is played by Daisy Ridley and who is indeed a very troubled British woman and mother of two as one of the characters in “Magpie”? She has gotten a very short angular haircut which in a different situation could definitely be considered very fashionable (a la Isabella Rossellini). The only snag, however, is that the film employs it as a tool to depict the trauma suffered by the subject, no different than in the case of Mia Farrow’s reminiscent Vidal Sassoon hairstyle in the film, “Rosemary’s Baby.” Annette, who is quite obviously under heavy duty drugs, stares into a mirror to the point it shatters. Is she suffering from affliction that allows her to break objects with thoughts? No , she smashed it with her fist (the fist that is also covered in blood which pours into the sink), but it is very clear that her internalized anger is very strong. Her husband, Ben (who is described as a British Indian), is an acclaimed novelist, and there is always a slight insult whenever she comments about his novels. Her manner of speech is succinct and austere and “polite”. And then at one stage, a bird flies into the glass window of her house. The overall tone of this film is of stoic rage, and it is her rage that is reflected in the mood of the entire film.
It is clear that while Annette is a victim of some profound incapacity, it is not a sickness. It is that melancholia that can assail mothers with preschool children, abandoned, cut off maybe forsaken. As it appears, Ben had committed a sin of an abaverage nature. This was after the birth of their son Lucas. He for several months left the family to go on one of his book expeditions, completely in the dark as to how serious the situation was for Annette. He left everything to her and on arrival things were not the same with her as when he had left.
The complex and sometimes even traumatic undertones she has in her relationship with some of motherhood is not simply a good story for the screen but rather a story whose time has come. However, “Magpie” does show Annette to the viewer in a rather unflattering manner that is consistent with the tone of the entire movie. While some of us may not flinch at the sight of movie real-estate porn, the country home that Annette and Ben own just outside of London is styled architecturally like a very spacious gallery. When meeting with an ex-colleague for lunch, the stiltedness in their relationship together and the fact that Lucas is screaming in the restaurant places tension in every scene. And then the story begins. Matilda, played by Hiba Ahmed, is the daughter of Annette and Ben, and is around eight when she is presented in a costume drama where she is the daughter of the main character portrayed by Alicia, a stunning Italian actress (Matilda Lutz).
Ben is positioned as the guardian of Matilda on the location, and the moment we are brought in, there is a sense in which he and Alicia shall somehow hit it off only that he is establishing some sort of stalker approach towards her. This point seems unlikely to be overlooked as somewhere a tabloid forms a pap shot of them together and asks who ‘mystery man’ Alicia is dating, yet it is still only the second day of shooting. A substantial part of “Magpie” seems to suffer from such excess. A celebrity sex tape of Alicia grabs the attention of Ben for the first time. Still, one is left wondering why he has to rub it in our noses by coming out of the bath and shouting it out that he shot his bolt in the usual bathroom. In these intrigues, it is quite captivating how Ben and Alicia do not only meet but develop a mutual interest. But this time trying to suggest that whatever mood the filmmakers were aiming for they ended up with dismal indie ‘Fatal Attraction’ does not cut it. But ‘Fatal Attraction’ was much more subtle in its treatment.
But as “Magpie” progresses, an interesting development takes place. The viewer begins to get accustomed to the film’s overly upfront style, mixing the right dose of banality and mystery in equal measures. It becomes clear that this is not going to be either Hitchcock or even Adrian Lyne. The foremost task of the first-time director Sam Yates, adapted from a serviceable script by Tom Bateman, is to create an atmosphere, and he does it abundantly, although the film is shot and staged in a very simple manner. You feel the anticipation for the unfolding events. And Daisy Ridley whom the movie was based on, fully understands what she’s after. She goes even further and makes Annette brittle and ‘unreasonable’ as this is how a woman in the position of Ben perceives her. He is the typical gaslighter and still does not know that he is the bug: the sense of entitlement, the thickheadedness about what mothers go through at some point. All he wants to do is open every single thing and go into a relationship with Alicia, who has sultry manners that are hard to ignore. Gradually, the two are exchanging text messages and it starts like this, but it later becomes very passionate. He convinces himself that he has found a way out of his ‘that’ misery. No one knows what is happening and this includes the audience as well.
Shazad Latif, with his tall handsomeness, his gentle grin, and his man-bun, plays Ben as a man who has made an effort to be aware of the feelings of others, and as such, thinks that his desires should also be met. He is, however, deceived. As it were, he is a toxic one, but like “Magpie”, this is not a screed. It is a suspense movie but though many of its scenes are the type taught in Screenwriting 101, it does manage to build up to an unexpectedly satisfactory climax. It is one of those Usual Suspects/Saltburn type surprises, which means that one must suspend disbelief they regarding it. But when the surprise comes, it has a kicky crowd-pleasing effect. People don’t just play games. A mother, for instance, wants to be kissed the way she wants it.
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