In the Dark Half

This intimate, low-budget first drama from Alastair Siddons, who in 2009 made the impressive B-boy doc ‘Turn It Loose’, is a mysterious, thoughtful experiment. A troubled teen, Marie (Jessica Barden), lives on an estate in south-west England. All around her are problems: her mum (Lyndsey Marshal) is unhinged, while her neighbour (Tony Curran) hunts rabbits at night and is so wild-eyed that people assume he’s to blame when tragedy hits his son. Lucy Catherine’s script is heavy on supernatural suggestion and echoes of grief but is perhaps too careful to keep its secrets to itself. Meanwhile, Siddons maintains a threatening atmosphere and crafts suggestively with silence.