Gwen (film)

Plot

Set in 19th-century North Wales, the story follows Gwen, a farm girl living with her mother and younger sister, Mari. One day while playing outside, they walk past a neighboring farmhouse where a group of men are handling several dead bodies. The village doctor, Wren, says the deaths are from cholera. The next morning at church, their mother has a short talk with a man as the family leaves.

Back home, they discover an animal heart nailed to their front door. The following day, Gwen finds their crops have gone bad. That night, she asks her mother about the man she spoke to and whether she intends to sell the house; her mother denies any such plan. Later, Gwen sees her mother standing in the pasture among their sheep, which have been mutilated and killed.

Gwen then checks the cholera-infected house and finds signs of a struggle, along with evidence that their sheep were also mutilated there. She points out the similarities to her mother, who tells her to drop it. Her mother suffers a violent seizure, and at church another seizure catches Doctor Wren’s attention. He prescribes tonic wine and mentions that his practice is owned by the local quarry company.

The next day, while selling vegetables at the market, Gwen notices villagers either ignoring her or giving her unsettling looks. Men from the quarry arrive at the farm. Gwen listens in and hears them demanding to buy the land from her mother. Her mother sends them away and, as punishment for eavesdropping, orders Gwen to butcher their dead horse.

When Gwen refuses, her mother hacks off the horse’s head and has another seizure. At her mother’s request, Gwen reads a letter and learns that her father is not coming home—a fact her mother had kept hidden. That night, a man with a dagger approaches the farmhouse. Gwen and her mother kill him.

Her mother then tells the girls to run as the quarry men arrive, overpower her, and burn both her and the house. Gwen and Mari escape into the hills and watch their home burn. When Mari asks where they will go, Gwen says they will search for their father.

Reception

Before its release, Screen International highlighted Gwen as one of the UK's buzz titles to watch at the 2018 American Film Market. The film also earned a spot in the British Council's Great8 program at the 2018 Cannes Film Festival, which showcases emerging UK talent. Following its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival, critical response was positive, and it quickly became another buzz title there, earning acclaim for its folk horror elements and unsettling atmosphere.

On Rotten Tomatoes, the film holds a 71% approval rating from 62 reviews, with the critics' consensus noting that while its unrelentingly bleak tone might not suit everyone, it is a reasonably gripping and well-crafted period horror. Metacritic gives it a score of 63 based on 6 critics, reflecting generally favorable reviews. Joe Lipsett of Bloody Disgusting praised it as clever, beautiful, and well-acted, describing it as a slow burn that is worth seeking out.