DRAGONFLY

DRAGONFLY

A masterful, tension-filled blend of social realism, thriller, and horror

Meet Colleen. Life hasn’t dealt her a great hand, and as she approaches forty, she looks even older. With perpetually greasy hair, a shapeless tracksuit, and a hostile, closed-off scowl, she is hardly a natural at making friends. Her closest companion is a little dog — aggressive toward strangers and fiercely devoted to Colleen, never leaving her side.

Colleen numbs her loneliness by obsessively watching makeup tutorials online — and by hurling insults at the social workers visiting her neighbor, Elsie, an elderly, ailing woman humiliated by her dependence on others. One day, Colleen decides to take care of Elsie herself. She helps her bathe, they share meals, and watch television together.

But is Colleen doing this out of kindness? And where is this relationship heading — because it’s certainly not toward a happy ending.

“Dragonfly” is a chilling psychological thriller where the true horrors are the realities of aging and loneliness. Colleen feels her life ended with her youth; Elsie has lost all hope since she lost her independence. The story unfolds on a bleak British council estate, saturated with the smell of poverty, despair, and disinfectant.

British director Paul Andrew Williams — BAFTA winner for the true-crime drama “Murdered for Being Different” — has crafted a raw, painfully authentic portrait of two women who, in any other circumstance, would never have become friends. But fate had other plans — and it’s all the more unsettling because of it.

Despite its intimate, small-scale setting, the film feels monumental thanks to its performances. Andrea Riseborough — Oscar-nominated for “To Leslie” and known to horror fans for the cult hit “Mandy” — delivers a fearless portrayal of Colleen, alongside the equally brilliant Brenda Blethyn, a two-time Oscar nominee for “Little Voice” and “Secrets & Lies.” Their performances carry “Dragonfly” straight to its devastating finale — a duo that was rightfully awarded at the prestigious Tribeca Film Festival.

After the screening we invite you to Q&A with:

• Paul Andrew Williams