Lady Macbeth

Florence Pugh shines in this exceptional British debut of a young wife's need for freedom, whatever the cost.

Katherine is a young bride, unhappily married to the nasty son of a wealthy mine owner. Unable to consummate his marriage, the husband is sadistic, refusing to even allow his young wife out of the house. Left alone when her husband is away, Katherine starts to explore the grounds and initiates a passionate affair with earthy stable-hand Sebastian, while her increasingly concerned maid watches on.

Debut director William Oldroyd and writer Alice Birch move from theatre to film with an ingeniously realised adaptation of an 1865 Russian novella. Lady Macbeth has grand ambitions, and exudes a rare vision and talent. Proving her knockout turn in The Falling was no fluke, Pugh amazes as a heroine whose behaviour shifts from steely proud to wild-eyed and deranged. Lady Macbeth was made with the support of the BFI using funds from the National Lottery.