For those of you who have been missing Vera ever since the final episode aired earlier this year, we’ve got good news. Brenda Blethyn is back, with her new project Dragonfly – available to watch now in the UK.
The film features the star as Elsie, a lonely pensioner who is treated more as a name on a checklist than a person by her carers.
Neighbour Colleen (Andrea Riseborough) notices the situation and, having been failed by society while in the care system as a child, forms a bond with Elsie and takes over her care.
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However, Elsie’s son John (Jason Watkins) becomes suspicious of Colleen and puts his foot down.
F0llowing its premiere at Edinburgh International Film Festival, the film is now available to watch in cinemas.
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And it’s worth going to see, as we at Digital Spy called the film a “powerful must-see British drama [that] has an ending you won’t forget”.
“The two stars take characters who could both turn out to be stereotypes in lesser hands and form them into fully-rounded, believable humans,” our review reads.
“Elsie is vulnerable only in body and not in spirit, with Blethyn masterfully portraying her quiet defiance, while Riseborough beautifully cracks Colleen’s hard shell to showcase the pain inside.
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Don’t just take our word for it, though. The Guardian wrote that “there are two superb lead performances from Andrea Riseborough and Brenda Blethyn and an outstanding supporting turn from Jason Watkins”, and praised the film for how it “challenges the audiences with its refusal of categorisation”.
“There is no doubt that the film sticks in the memory,” The Hollywood Reporter wrote, referring to the tonal shift that takes place late in the film (no spoilers, don’t worry!).
“The latest from Paul Andrew Williams will not be for everyone, but it is a chokingly tense commentary on the precarious nature of community,” Screen Daily added.
Dragonfly is available to watch in cinemas now. Vera can be streamed in full on ITVX.
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Joe Anderton is a freelance news writer at Digital Spy, having worked there since 2016. In his time, he’s covered a host of live events and interviewed celebrities big and small. A big fan of TV and movies both mainstream and obscure, Joe also enjoys video games and in particular PlayStation. Joe currently does not use Twitter, but he only ever used it to tell people to watch the film Help! I’m a Fish.