Lady by Samuel Abrahams is certainly a film you don’t want to miss, mainly because it is absolutely bonkers. While the film embraces its eccentricity and unpredictability, there is also a surprisingly tender story underneath it all.
The story follows Isabella (Sian Clifford), a lady who lives on an estate and invites Sam (Laurence Kynaston), a young filmmaker, to document her life as she prepares to host Stately Stars, a talent show for children that she created and also wants to participate in (already bonkers, right?). What follows is a whirlwind of events and an increasingly complicated dynamic between the two, resulting in an eccentric, terrifically funny film that, by the end, settles into something surprisingly tender and heartfelt.
You probably remember Sian Clifford from Fleabag, where she played Claire and delivered the iconic “It’s French!”. No wonder Abrahams wanted her to play Lady Isabella. Who else could have portrayed this character quite so perfectly? It feels as though Abrahams recognised the depth within Clifford’s performances and knew she was the person who could bring Isabella to life: eccentric, bombastic, hilarious but also surprisingly layered.
Samuel Abrahams himself has been nominated for a BAFTA for his short film Connect, and knowing a little about his background adds another interesting layer to Lady. Sam, the filmmaker we follow throughout the film, shares the director’s full name and is also a BAFTA-nominated filmmaker. When I asked Abrahams about this, he said that the film definitely contains some very personal subjects. In a way, I think this was his opportunity to creatively place parts of his own life into a film while maintaining some control over how they are presented and, at the same time, putting them completely out into the open. And I’m not just referring to Sam. It’s bold, but I think that’s part of the beauty of art.
Sian Clifford is brilliant. Her comedic timing, facial expressions and ability to completely inhabit Isabella all seem to come so naturally. It is the kind of performance where you cannot look away. I may very well think of her as Lady Isabella from now on.
The film itself is shot in a documentary style, with the behind-the-scenes-like footage adding another layer of genuineness to the story. It makes the whole thing feel strangely intimate, as though we are watching something that perhaps shouldn’t be seen. Quite exposing in every sense, really. And despite everything that happens, Lady remains an entertaining watch from beginning to end.
This is Abrahams’ first feature film, which makes the way it was made even more interesting. The entire film was shot over just 15 days. Perhaps that scarcity of time is partly what gives Lady its punchy, immediate quality. Everything feels energetic and real, which suits the story perfectly. Perhaps even more important, though, was the time spent before filming, when they had the opportunity to connect and explore their characters together. There seems to have been a real sense of collaboration from the beginning, creating the same kind of synergy between the characters that we eventually see on screen.
Now, it is hard not to go deeper into the characters and everything the director might be trying to say with Lady, but I think it is better to stop there. Whatever Abrahams intended with the film and whatever we ultimately take away from it will, inevitably, be slightly different. And perhaps that is the point.
What I do know is that Lady is a full hour and a half of wonderfully bizarre, chaotic and genuinely entertaining filmmaking. I’m glad Abrahams and his crew took us along for the ride.
