The Little Stranger

The Little Stranger is a subtly disturbing, atmospheric psychological thriller set in post-World War II Britain. Released in 2018, the film, directed by Lenny Abrahamson, brilliantly adapts Sarah Waters' best-selling novel of the same name into a spine-chilling cinematic experience. The impressive line-up of acclaimed actors, including Domhnall Gleeson, Will Poulter, Ruth Wilson and Charlotte Rampling, bring depth and complexity to their characters, elevating the film's overall storytelling.

The movie pivots around the young and ambitious Dr. Faraday, played with tremendous conviction by Domhnall Gleeson, an actor known for his roles in highly regarded works such as Ex Machina and Brooklyn. Raised by a modest family, Faraday is, by now, well-adjusted to his life, committed to his duty as a country doctor. He holds a special fascination for Hundreds Hall, the grand estate his mother once worked at as a domestic help. As a boy, he desired the opulent lifestyle the mansion represented, which was in stark contrast to his own humble background.

In the summer of 1948, Faraday's life takes a perplexing turn when he's called to Hundreds Hall, now severely dilapidated, its grandeur obscured by the shroud of decay. The Ayres family, whom the property belongs to, and who were once wealthy landowners and a symbol of the local gentry elite, are now haunted by their dwindling fortune, overwhelmed by financial troubles, war wounds, and the burden of a slowly crumbling mansion that they can't maintain.

Mrs Ayres, played by Charlotte Rampling, and her grown children, Roderick and Caroline, portrayed by Will Poulter and Ruth Wilson, are apprehensive about their fading aristocracy, struggling with a changing society that they find hard to fit into, becoming mere distant echoes of their once illustrious past. The arrival of Dr. Faraday, who starts visiting them frequently, attending to Roderick's war injuries and engaging in quiet conversations with Caroline, slowly peels the veneer off the precipitous decline of Hundreds Hall and its subtle horrors.

Will Poulter, known for his role in The Revenant and Detroit, plays the scarred war veteran Roderick Ayres with an empathy that resonates with the audience. His performance conveys a chilling vulnerability, trapped as he is between the blinding torments of the past and the agonizing ennui of the present. Ruth Wilson, a powerhouse of talent seen in Saving Mr. Banks and Jane Eyre, delivers a standout portrayal as Caroline Ayres, the caring, independent sister. Her interactions with Faraday, along with the unraveling gloom of Hundreds Hall, form the crux of the film's narrative.

The Little Stranger, with the grandeur of a period drama and the mood of a gothic thriller, painstakingly crafts an air of suspense, keeping the audience on their edge. The cinematography subtly uses the motifs of shadow and light, amplifying the eerie aura. The director, Lenny Abrahamson, gives the film a temperate tone, which makes the narrative impactful and adds an enthralling unpredictability to it. His mastery in building up suspense by tuning down the tempo of the film, seen previously in his Oscar-nominated movie Room, echoes in the The Little Stranger, making it a riveting watch.

The film employs atmosphere and character interactions rather than overt scare tactics, as a slow, unnerving dread seeps into the everyday lives of the characters, playing out under the stark, dilapidated beauty of Hundreds Hall. It explores the haunting defeat of an old world, the futility of clinging onto a past, the severe price of obsession, and the destructive denial of accepting the inescapable reality of change.

The Little Stranger, in its essence, is a film for those who enjoy a blend of drama, suspense, and psychological thriller, peppered with an unsettling gothic charm, classic to the British countryside. It masterfully weaves a story of decline, isolation, social aspiration, and haunting anguish, all set in a house that shadows its inhabitants with the chill of degradation and the specter of a long-gone era. It’s a film which invites its audience to peel back the layers, to understand the depth of the characters, their despair, and the broader social tensions of a changing Britain. The slow-burning unease of the film, punctuated by the exemplary performances of the cast, makes The Little Stranger a truly haunting yet captivating cinematic experience.