Neglected pensioner Elsie finds an unexpected ally in her younger neighbour Colleen. Over time, a friendship grows but Elsie’s resentful, guilt-ridden son stirs up tensions bringing shocking consequences.

‘Dragonfly’ is a British drama film directed by Paul Andrew Williams, centering on a lonely, elderly woman who is befriended by her equally lonely next door neighbour. This is the kind of British movie that I really love, supremely well-acted with a naturalistic setting and shades of a psychological thriller mixed with the kitchen sink stylings of a Mike Leigh or even a Ken Loach. It’d also make a great double bill with ‘Restless’, another British film from earlier this year with a focus on domestic dramas on an estate.

Brenda Blethyn plays the elderly woman (Elsie), who lives on her own in the house she shared with her husband for 50 years, tended to by carers with her only son (Jason Watkins) living somewhere up north and visiting infrequently. Her younger next door neighbour, Colleen (Riseborough), is on benefits and doesn’t do much with her days, besides spend time with her dog Sabre. One day, Colleen decides to drop in on Elsie and ask if she needs anything from the shop, and from here their relationship blossoms into one that is both a friendship and a carer/cared for relationship, that appears to work for both of them. This doesn’t go down so well with John (Watkins), who turns up later on and has issues with Colleen’s involvement in his mother’s life.

A lot of the drama and tension in ‘Dragonfly’ comes from the unsettling tone that Williams develops, with an anxious undercurrent that things aren’t quite right. We get a glimpse into both Elsie and Colleen’s lives, but with Colleen especially, we’re never really sure if her intentions are purely honourable or not, and it’s testament to the directing and the performances that the film keeps us guessing throughout. Riseborough plays Colleen as a woman on edge, she’s uncouth and clearly troubled, but is she a danger to Elsie? Or is that just our prejudiced thoughts about a women with a troubled past on benefits? Brenda Blethyn is superb as Elsie, but it’s Riseborough who really drives this film with one of her finest performances. I loved watching the two of them together.

‘Dragonfly’ is a cracking little film with some terrific performances and a script that blends social realism with a suspenseful undercurrent that wouldn’t feel amiss in a horror movie. Well worth seeking out.

Rating: 4/5

Directed By: Paul Andrew Williams

Starring: Andrea Riseborough, Brenda Blethyn and Jason Watkins

http://www.imdb.com/title/tt32383425/