The Living and the Dead

Aristocratic, impoverished and reclusive, with a truly historical lineage, Lord and Lady Brocklebank (Donald and Nancy) live in the magnificent but decrepit Longleigh House with their mentally challenged son James. Close to bankruptcy, Donald is negotiating to sell the family home when Nancy is taken seriously ill. In order to pay for her operation, Donald has to leave the estate for a few days and so arranges for the family nurse (Nurse Mary) to take control. James however wants to prove to his father that he is a responsible adult and perfectly capable of looking after his mother. As it becomes less and less apparent who is ill and who is not, what is real and what is not, the unimaginable becomes imaginable and the nightmare begins. The above is a factual description of this impressive and confusing film in every respect. Simon Rumley, who says he was inspired by directors such as Tsukamoto Shinya and Darren Aronofsky, provides a mathematically precise sketch of the demise of a family, or the decay of a dynasty. Rumley makes the best possible use of the fantastic acting of the three protagonists and hallucinating camera work to portray the psyche of the pill-popping son. The downward spiral of the story keeps the viewer in an iron grip right up to the bitter end. (EH)