This adaptation of the August Strindberg play stars Jessica Chastain, Colin Farrell and Samantha Morton, with Liv Ullmann directing. The setting is 19th century Fermanagh and the story concerns a sexual triangle and a shifting balance of power between the classes, unfolding over the course of a Midsummer Night’s Eve.
Farrell is John, the ambitious valet of an Anglo-Irish Baron. He is engaged to humble and pious cook Kathleen (Morton). Completing the triumvirate is Julie (Chastain), the Baron’s manipulative and unpredictable daughter. Julie is horrid to her servants and aborts puppies in an act of canine eugenics – in other words, she’s a proper villain. John is not without blemish either. He is eager to climb the social ladder, regardless of what is required.
The action unfolds almost entirely within the manor’s kitchen and Ullmann piles on the claustrophobia throughout. But the director does not commit fully to the theatrical ambiance and cinematic flourishes, such as the over-bearing soundtrack, are a distraction. That’s a pity, as Chastain and Farrell put in powerful performances. They would crackle on stage. But on the screen everything falls disappointingly flat.