Rose Glass’ gothic-tinged psychological drama is a wickedly playful piece of work, by turns insidiously creepy, darkly humorous and heartbreakingly sad. The two leads crackle with palpable chemistry, with Jennifer Ehle’s beautifully nuanced performance proving the perfect complement to Morfydd Clark’s star-making turn as the unsaintly Maud. Consistently upending expectations, this thrilling one-of-a-kind is an almost religious experience.
Having recently found God, self-effacing young nurse Maud (Morfydd Clark) is untiring in her spiritual devotion. Landing a job as full-time private carer, she arrives at the plush home of Amanda (Jennifer Ehle), a hedonistic dancer left frail from a chronic illness. While they could not be more different – Amanda’s taste for the extravagant being the antithesis of Maud’s pious values – the mismatched pair are intrigued by each other, slowly building a brittle bond of co-dependency. But when a chance encounter with a former colleague throws up hints of a dark past, it becomes clear there is more to sweet Maud than meets the eye. As Amanda’s self-indulgent behaviour escalates, tensions between the couple steadily grow, leaving Maud convinced that she has been sent to serve a higher purpose.
One of the most original British horror films in a decade, Glass’s debut combines religious fervor and psychological frailty in the bleak English seaside to explore repression, desperation and loneliness.
See Saint Maud on the big screen in celebration of female filmmakers during this year’s International Women’s Day weekend!
All of our screenings are 18+ unless otherwise stated, the film starts at the advertised time above.
