Barry Keoghan made strong impressions in The Killing of a Sacred Deer & The Banshees of Inisherin. His nuanced, intense portrayal in this film solidifies his place as one of the most gifted character actors of his generation. He plays a shy Oxford student who’s invited to spend the summer at the family estate of his hunky new aristocratic friend (Jacob Elordi, recently Elvis in Priscilla). Thus begin the awkward and unusual encounters with this eccentric group (led by a wonderfully wicked Rosamund Pike as the matriarch). Writer/director Emerald Fennell (Promising Young Woman & Midge in Barbie and Camilla in The Crown) has infused the film with peculiar people, interesting camerawork and unexpected moments. There’s an underlying dark humor and uncomfortable ambiance that keeps twisting the story, but it’s Koeghan’s impressive performance that’s the movie’s most compelling asset. 
(4 / 5)
