Short Film Review “Lady Macbeth Was Never A Girl” Come hence, all lasses, and break away from a structured world…one little rebellion at a time
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First, the Recap:
It’s a question asked so many times when looking at our surroundings, specifically as an individual attempting to find their place in it all….who am I? Where and how we assess, apply, and live out the man or woman we are meant to be is nothing short of a monumental task. When you would think it is as straightforward as it could be, there are factors of society that seem to have predetermined our steps, our status, our future. Therefore….how about you choose to take it back!
At a highly rigid, even dogmatically prone, English secondary school, fellow students and dear friends Jessica (Francesca McBride) and Ashley (Eva Smith) wile away the tedious hours, trying to learn and absorb the knowledge presented, yet find their minds on quite the errant path. Realizing the true depth of what directions, mandates, and borderline manipulative rules they are made to follow, the pair are soon musing about the manner in which to abscond from it. With a little assistance from some misplaced joggers, the school term, and of course, the Bard himself.
Next, my Mind:
You know, I just stated the other day in a review how much I adore the British entertainment machine, both through the medium of film and also for television. Their take on even the most common of themes or content remains unique, fresh, filled with intentionality of messaging, and just has a spirit, a soul of its own that allows it to stand out for me. As such, I was now witness to the third most recent British short film I’ve seen (behind “To Fly or Float” and “Cuddle“) thanks to writer/director/executive producer Francesca McBride, producer Dannie Dart, and associate producer Molly Keating. What I viewed may have only been eight abbreviated minutes in length, but the concepts, themes, persuasively candid, socially and culturally relevant, quietly blunt statements it delivers about our world’s gender-centric mentalities is nothing short of sharply pointed yet unequivocally inspirational to the core.
Yes, this once more sounds quite profound, exaggerated, and perhaps a little too much. But make no mistake, as is almost always the case with the realms of indie cinema, it’s not just about what’s on the surface, but what lingers underneath. Through a narrative that sees two teenage schoolgirls having to experience, discern, take in, and contemplate the realities around them thanks to a the school itself, a pair of abandoned clothing, and one line from a now 400-year old classic, this deftly executed, well-written approach to women’s rights and associated notions of empowerment, much less about just being SEEN, is truly remarkable, impactful, and entertaining as much as it is so acutely serious ABOUT what purpose this story serves. It’s the mix of perspectives, contexts, and brilliantly crafted series of moments that adeptly encapsulate what McBride is putting forth for our retention and subsequent pondering.
Thematically, as of course hinted at above, the film is rich in what it wishes to convey, addressing self-awareness and identity, patriarchal perceptions and actualities, repressive rules, being at the mercy of those who try to virtually control us from the start, questioning whether we are truly aware of our actions in so many instances, the presence or absence of free will and the ability to make our own decisions, the things we discard or leave behind and don’t even miss or recall, the weight of expectations, the desire to be taken seriously and consequently is it necessary to sacrifice gender to do so, and finally illustrating the choice to go against the flow as an act of subtle but tangible defiance all gets its just due here. It does need to be understood that this is all in the context of centering on the treatment of women and the constant requirement of mindsets to be altered as such, but there is a LOT of overall applicability to these explorations that can apply universally.
What makes the film’s declarations ultimately sink in is how it serves up a finale that is as serenely revolutionary as it is cathartically satisfying, not relying on grandiose or demonstrative flourish, but rather the magnificence of realization, an awakening as it were. It’s that necessary reminder to us all about the import of the subject matter at hand, while calmly displaying a magical rallying cry to the fairer sex. McBride channels a subdued vitality and an accompanying demeanor that speaks so beautifully to the inquisitive nature and mutedly unsettled sense of initial disconnect, and disconcert, with the world’s ideas about trying to tell her who she is via her role here as Jessica. Not at all happy with just feeling like she’s being strung along by deliberately programmed “values”, she takes random instances, along with her best friend Ashley, to dig into, allow her mind to consume, and recognize all the ways things need to be different in order to truly find herself.
As written earlier, it’s the start of a personal insurgency that will fly in the face of all that’s been holding Jessica back, and watching this energy emanate forth with such understated strength and resolve is a testament to McBride’s performance here. It’s wholly enjoyable to witness. In referring to more restrained yet fully emergent performances, Smith likewise stands an example of this style of acting with a different but equal amount of poise and calculated design through her role as Ashley, Jessica’s best friend and really the primary catalyst for the rousing that happens within her. Pointing out the exact elements that spurs Jessica’s journey towards her inner enlightenment, Ashley’s steadfast and smarty worded commentary on the state of the world when it comes to how it treats women is filled with an underlying annoyance with it all, yet she still comes across with this almost devilish joy in simply knowing things are on the move for transformation of minds.
And, that she has influenced her friend to arrive at the awarenesses she now has. Smith’s consistently endearing and engaging manner just shines, and it makes the character she play’s presence that much more enjoyable to watch. Main supporting roles arrive from Pene Herman-Smith as one of the girl’s teachers at their school Ms. Fletcher, Rebecca Robin as the school’s physical education teacher Ms. Johns, who has a particularly key moment in Jessica’s newfound awareness that makes the film’s final moments more emphatically meaningful, Benjamin Keachie is Tom, a boy at the school whom, perhaps, holds a mutually shared candle for Jessica, and Errol Rodrigues as a math teacher. Additional appearances come from Ruby Bell, Serina Estrada, Louis Jaffa, James Kane, Callan McAndie, Rebecca McDiarmid, Anna MacDonald, Jack Nisbet, Shaun Newson, and Matt Page.
So, in total, with a uniquely haunting yet inspired closing credits song, “Pull The Thread”, by composer Peter McMahon Ft. Blaire Sharman adding an ethereal ending to the events at hand, “Lady Macbeth Was Never A Girl” is an all-out winning short film that takes on one of the most necessary and evocative ongoing topics, placing it in an awareness-raising arena that showcases just how much farther the aims for women to be appreciated, stand firm in their gender, and not be held back by any pre-conceived notions of who they are or what they can accomplish have come while only continuing to grow. I applaud thee, lasses, for the fortitude to rise up, letting thou voices be heard, and bursting forth in conquest of thine naysayers, refusing to be unsexed by the orb. In more contemporary vernacular….you GO, girls!!
STAR RATING (out of 5):
As always, this is all for your consideration and comment. Until next time, thank you for reading!
