Fanny Lye Deliver'd (18)
Directed by Thomas Clay

IN 1657 England, the Puritan life of wife and mother Fanny Lye is completely upended by the arrival of two mysterious strangers at the remote family farm in Shropshire she lives on with her husband.

What transpires in this Western-style thriller about the clash of worlds, ideas and female awakening is set against the backdrop of the English revolution and Oliver Cromwell's republic.

The daily existence of Fanny (Maxine Peake) is ruled by her oppressive and domineering husband John (Charles Dance), a former captain in the English civil war and a firm believer in the Bible and Cromwell's puritanical rule.

Yet he treats his wife as his property and, despite his Christian beliefs, has no qualms in whipping her in punishment. Yet due to his game leg, it is Fanny who has to take care of the farm and home single-handedly, which both her husband and her son (Zak Adams) take for granted.

The world turns upside down with the appearance of the charismatic Thomas Ashbury (Freddie Fox) and his young “wife” Rebecca (impressive newcomer Tanya Reynolds). They are not what they seem and their more liberal views and rejection of Biblical sin shock Fanny into opening her eyes to new ideas and a different way of life.

Set in the one location, purpose-built for the film, and with gorgeous Constable-style landscapes steeped in a haunting mist, writer-director Thomas Clay explores the English revolution through the eyes and lives of ordinary people with competing opinions and agendas.

It is when Thomas questions and challenges John and Fanny's beliefs through brutally honest discussion that the film, despite its violence, hits home.

There are powerhouse performances from Peake, magnetic throughout, and the brutally chilling Dance, while Fox and Reynolds hold their own magnificently against the two leads in this fascinating yet heartfelt depiction of a long-suffering woman finally finding her voice and her identity.

Available on Curzon Home Cinema.