Dragonfly
Dragonfly tells the story of two neighbours, lonesome Colleen (Andrea Riseborough) and the elderly Elsie (Brenda Blethyn), who form an unlikely friendship during the latter’s time of need. Elsie needs daily care in her old age, but professional services are letting her down, merely ticking the required boxes before leaving early. In an act of neighbourly kindness, Colleen takes it upon herself to fill the holes in Elsie’s life, while also finding a sense of purpose in her own. However, not everybody views their unusual relationship as acceptable, not least Elsie’s relatives, who wish to find a better carer for her as she becomes more vulnerable with each passing day.
Colleen is an isolated and alienated woman, hardened by her poor circumstances and finding companionship only in her dog prior to her relationship with Elsie. In a showcase of acting brilliance, Andrea Riseborough gives the performance of a lifetime in this role, once more showing why she is a previous Academy Award and Bafta nominee. What we see is a raw, desperate and unnerving portrayal from the actress, and because of this you never truly know whether to feel unsettled or warmed by the presence of Colleen in Elsie’s home. Likewise, the multi-award-winning Blethyn plays her most stripped-back character in years as Colleen’s vulnerabilities are exposed with devasting authenticity.
With most of the dialogue taking place within the walls of Elsie’s home, every scene in this film is naked and brutally honest. What should be a sanctuary for Elsie in her time of need and care becomes a cauldron of emotion and struggle as the two characters battle their inner demons. At its bones, Dragonfly is a character study of two very real and relatable people in British society, leading you to truly feel for them both and their predicaments, before the mirage is extinguished by a cruel, sinister twist that will leave you traumatised.
Directed and written by Paul Andrew Williams, Dragonfly is a cunning and compelling look into the lives of those that society chooses to look down upon, that is until the drama unravels and the insidious undertones rise to the surface. The visuals are cold, drained and lifeless like the characters on screen, leaving an unwelcome chill in the air as every cup of tea is sipped and creating an ever-growing sense of dread about the direction in which the plot is going. The film will surprise you and leave you shaken to the core, and while there aren’t many answers to the questions raised in this movie, what it does do is provoke thought and reflection throughout each act.
Guy Lambert
Dragonfly is released nationwide on 7th November 2025.
Watch the trailer for Dragonfly here:
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