A One Mann’s Movies review of “Lady” (From the 2025 London Film Festival). (2025, 3*, ’15’).
Given how late in the calendar year the London Film Festival is run, it’s quite rare to have a World Premiere showing at the LFF. But “Lady” was one of them. It has moments of hilarity but, for me, didn’t have the legs for a 97 minute long feature film.
One Mann’s Movies Rating:
Plot:
Sam (Laurie Kynaston) is a BAFTA-winning director (“actually, just nominated”) who is hired to film a Netflix-commissioned documentary about a narcissistic aristocrat, Lady Isabella (Sian Clifford), in her stately home, Ravenhyde Hall, as she prepares to host the ‘Stately Stars’ talent show for local children.
Certification:
UK: NR; US: NR. (The film has not yet been rated by the BBFC but I would expect it to be a ’15’.)
Talent:
Starring: Sian Clifford, Laurie Kynaston, Juliet Cowan, Olisa Odele.
Directed by: Samuel Abrahams.
Written by: Samuel Abrahams & Miranda Campbell Bowling.
Running Time: 1h 37m.
Summary:
Positives:
- Isabella is a fine comic creation from the excellent Sian Clifford.
- There are lots of laughs to be had.
Negatives:
- The wacky comedy only takes the film so far before it starts getting tiresome.
Full Review of “Lady”:
Welcome to the nuthouse.
The film starts with Lady Isabella (Sian Clifford), dressed in a shocking pink outfit, pretending to be dead in various poses around the house and gardens. It is an element of her weird and whacky performance art. For Isabella is someone who is only happy when attention is being poured onto her. Hence her delight when Sam (Laurie Kynaston) turns up with a film crew to make a documentary about HER. (Sam thinks it’s been commissioned by Netflix… but he is in for a rude awakening.)
Clifford’s creation is an aristocratic gargoyle of epic proportions. She swans around her house and grounds, snootily making comments about her property (“We’re big animal lovers here” she says, waving at the stuffed deer heads on the wall) or herself (“I was twice the face of Royal Ascot”). If something doesn’t work well during the filming, she wants the shots retaken: “that negatively reflects the image I’m trying to curate” she purrs.
Cleaning up after her is Becky the Housekeeper (Juliet Cowan), who Isabella clearly treats like dirt most of the time but, when she has a camera pointing at her, becomes a perfect employer and wants to be on first name terms!
Mum’s the word.
As she lives completely alone, you wander where her family is. Her husband – very sensibly – stays away on business for extended periods. But she claims to have a son who is at boarding school. “You don’t give off Mum vibes” suggests Sam. “They’ve always been slight” replies Isabella.
But there’s some other story going on here. Like Truman Burbank, Isabella can’t seem to physically leave her grounds to reach the B1074 at the bottom of the drive (the movie was filmed at Somerleyton Hall in Suffolk). She’s “marooned like a rare and exotic bird”.
Surreal events.
The spoof documentary format would take the story so far, so the film introduces a most bizarre science-fiction element. This absolutely delights Sam, who suddenly sees that what he thought might be a complete waste of time is possibly going to get him that BAFTA! “This is fucking cinema!” he raves.
As well as this surprising angle, the film also has many surreal moments. At one point, we have Isabella’s head floating in a bath of water containing champagne corks and floating baby dolls. She refers to someone as “The grandson of the man who invented Marmite and who gave the foreign secretary a hand-job”. The film is a real attack on the senses and constantly surprised me.
Stately Stars.
The finale of the film is the Stately Stars talent show and although its been laid on for the kids, you already know that the narcissistic Isabella isn’t going to let any damned child-magician get in the way of her being the centre of attention. As it turns out, you could call it a case of naked ambition!
Outstays its welcome.
There was a lot of like about this film. It made me laugh a lot. But was it a feature film? And a 97 minute feature film at that (rather than a sub-90-minute one)? I actually don’t think so. It is pretty hard to make a format like this stretch to feature-film length and I don’t reckon this succeeded. (I don’t think this was just me either: I could feel the press audience around me starting to get fidgety.) As a 40 minute short film, it would have been great. Even as 3 x 30 minute TV episodes, it would have worked. But in this form it outstayed its welcome for me.
Summary Thoughts:
A very funny mockumentary with Sian Clifford on great form. But sometimes you can have too much of a good thing and here the comedy didn’t quite last the distance for me.
Where to watch?
Trailer:
At the time of writing, there is no formal trailer for this film. Attached is an interview (by The Upcoming magazine) with Samuel Abrahams at the LFF about the film.
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