Underneath the elegant exterior of “Magpie” boils violent emotions. This is portraited by a number of mirrors in the house, which makes the rooms somewhat headzones: clear walls, triangulated three sided mirrors and a multitude of mirrors. Sam Yates is a British theater director whose work includes the well established Vanyawith Andrew Scott which has won numerous OLIVIERs. His actress and producer, Daisy Ridley, and screenwriter, Tom Bateman, created a movie called ‘Magpie’, which is his first feature film. Magpie is a marital thriller, combining many film noir elements and rather complex, yet satisfying, conclusion. Always a good combination, but in this case it works primarily as an analysis of the mental breakdown of an angry woman.
Through their hairstyles, you can tell the marriage is in trouble. The slovenly Ben looks ridiculous with his man bun, Annette cut her hair short too. As everybody knows, man in the relationship. The couple moved to the countryside from London a while ago when Annette was pregnant. Ben is a writer but, according to Annette, she was able to sell only one recent book that came out and he is ‘quite simple’ (which must be a fascinating life). Annette used to work in the publishing industry, but from the way she met her former boss, essentially farmed and eager, she has not been that significant in the hierarchy. They are renting a cottage style house that only occurs in movies where the protagonists have extreme spousal issues, and are thriller based. The house is large, contemporary and has fantastic furniture and interior design. There was no way their joint earnings could afford the mansion (especially considering that she has not earned enough). However, Magpie being a certain type of a thriller, the setting has to be unrealistic.
We become acquainted with Ben and Annette as things take a turn for the worse. Moving to the countryside seemed to be a good idea. He’ll be able to have the quiet to write; she will be dedicated to being a mother. But it turned out to be not the case. Annette is going insane and feels stifled and neglected. Their five year old daughter Tillie (Hiba Ahmed) has just had a baby step brother Lucas. Ben is perhaps writing his next book but. A part from one 8 month research trip because he had Annette right after giving birth to Tillie, he seldom writes. While filming a movie with a sexy Italian actress named Alicia (Matilda Anna Ingrid Lutz), Tillie is likely to be more involved than ever in finding a new life on the film set where Ben does not even pay attention to his wife who is going through something very close to a nervous breakdown.(and he is al the more pathetic accepting the tabloids calling him her new ‘mystery man’). Annette has no choice but to remain at home as a recently turned mother with an infant that’s yelling at her lungs out. Before you know it, Ben is sneaking away to the bathroom, where he masturbates with a shower head as Alicia yells outside. It is difficult to understand who is more crazed with Alicia than either Annette or Ben.
About all of this, Yates enjoys and the cast is designed in such a way that even within the swathes of the narrative, their engagement is with the nuances of the emotional situation. It is Annette who is the eye of the storm as her psyche in tatters becomes the driver that takes her from a self assured woman to one who is so angry that one looks at a mirror and the sheer intensity will shatter it. All at once, a bird swoops in and hits the glass window causing a tirade of screams from Annette, who is clearly startled. This is where Magpie induces an eerie feeling and at times it feels as if Annette is the type of person that can have a temper so high that she has telekinesis. This is reflected in the overall tone of the film, which feels like it can go in that direction.
There is a larger issue here that lies at the heart of the film. The moment when Ben leaves Annette by herself for nearly a year after Tillie’s birth to concentrate on writing his thick and boring book is a betrayal, pure and simple. Prehistoric humans realized that women were extremely vulnerable right after childbirth and required support. But of course Ben, the “progressive” man he is, expects her to look after herself. She can’t forgive him and has never quite been the same since. Ridley knows these more profound issues and it is possible to think that for her, it is the sole issue. Annette begins to notice Ben’s condescending attitude towards her. When she raises her voice too high or becomes emotional, he yells at her as if she were a child.
Ben fantasizes about Alicia while loafing in the house staring at his phone it’s the highlight of his day. When Annette comes back, she says to Sam, ‘What have you done with your day.’ He seems annoyed saying, “I was with Lucas. Nothing.” Irritatingly so nothing to see here, move along folks.Ben doesn’t do anything any day except take care of his son. That is as much activity as “nothing” for him. Sam believes he is a nice husband who is committed and possesses intellect and awareness. This kind of Ben is the one that one needs to get away from. Especially if he has a messy bun on his head.
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