![]() ![]() Ciarán Hinds ( The Woman in Black) co-stars as Henry, a formidable man who carries many secrets, some of them deadly. The character is deeply layered and complex and Lee really delivers with style. Abbey Lee ( The Neon Demon) gives a strong performance in the lead role of Elizabeth. Questioning by the police proves to be the least of her worries as she begins to unfold the heart of the matter and realizes she is in way over her head.Įlizabeth Harvest is a contemporary re-telling of the famed French folktale Bluebeard. Making matters worse, a police detective friend of Henry’s has started coming by the house to keep tabs on the happy couple and Elizabeth must keep him at bay if she is to continue to enjoy this lifestyle. Oliver does his best to help Elizabeth discover the truth behind what is going on, but it may be more than she can handle. Claire and Oliver keep many secrets, some of which are written down in Claire’s journal. Nothing is as it seems in this growing mystery that unravels in a non-linear timeline. What she finds inside changes everything and has her questioning all she has taken for granted. Elizabeth grows bored in his absence and within a matter of hours soon breaks her promise when she chooses to investigate the mysterious room. Henry must go away on business the next day and leaves her in the capable hands of his servants Claire and Oliver. She gives her word to respect his wishes and soon the happy couple retires to an excellent meal. He says this is his work area and wishes to keep it private. There is one small exception, however: a room downstairs in the basement is off limits to her. ![]() She has everything she could possibly ask for fine clothing, jewelry, money, anything at all, as Henry tells her everything in the house is hers. She is introduced to a life of plenty, as Henry is a successful scientist and quite wealthy. Thanks for reading this review and please let us know what you thought about the movie! Leave a comment below or drop us a tweet over at to Strike Media for screening access.Elizabeth and Henry are newlyweds and he proudly carries his young bride across the threshold of his lavish house secluded far away in the mountains. (Leave your answers in the comments section below!) Question: What is your favourite Abbey Lee film? ‘Elizabeth Harvest’ is a sci-fi affair that would do well to remain in cryosleep. Sadly, these are not enough to redeem a film which suffers from a plodding pace and an unrealised potential. It’s almost like Gutierrez knows the film is going much too slowly so he tries saving it with a couple of interesting twists. Another positive to highlight is the bursts of neon colour and visual flair that match the rare peaks in the storytelling. This is a film that comes from Sebastian Gutierrez the mind behind ‘Gothika’ and ‘Snakes on a Plane’ so take from that what you will! It’s clear that the writer/director has an understanding of constructing a fairly unsettling sci-fi world but it’s a story which is reminiscent of a veering ride with plateaus of great lengths and just a few soaring elevations to try and hook you into the plot.Įlizabeth literally finds herself through the narrative but I feel that if the whole ‘Groundhog Day’ element of her shocking discovery was played upon two or three times more, then the film could have devoured some tasty details which change on each go around but the introduction and following explanations have no bite and it feels more like a film trying to be smart with housebound dramatics in the same vein as ‘Ex Machina’ but getting nowhere near the interest and sleek intrigue of that Alex Garland delight.Ībbey Lee and Carla Gugino who plays the maid of the home, provide great performances, with the former installing a believably robotic and questioning edge to Elizabeth. As her curiosity gets the better of her, Elizabeth may learn more about herself then she bargained for. ![]() The next day he heads off for work related reasons and tells her she can explore the whole house and make use of everything apart from one door in the basement, which she’s not allowed to enter. ‘Elizabeth Harvest’ is a film that could have been cream of that crop but it feels more like dry chaff by the end.Įlizabeth (Abbey Lee) is newly married to the wealthy Henry (Ciarán Hinds) who is extremely proud to show off his home to her. The future can look bleak at the best of times, so it’s no surprise that movies are harvesting dystopian, ‘Black Mirror’ aesthetics more and more to fit in with our growing dependence on technology and advancing science. ![]()
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