THE FEAST
★★★
OUT 19 AUGUST / CERT 18 / 93 MINS
DIRECTOR Lee Haven Jones
CAST Annes Elwy, Nia Roberts, Julian Lewis Jones, Steffan Cennydd
Like The Wicker Man or Midsommar, The Feast — performed entirely in Welsh — takes an idyllic pastoral setting and contrasts it against a spot of violent eco-horror. But director Lee Haven Jones takes his time getting there, first establishing a curious ensemble through static camerawork and some foreboding tranquillity. Annes Elwy plays a young woman hired to help out at a dinner party held at the country pad of a Welsh MP who’s hoping to make a deal with a local landowner. Where it’s going isn’t clear at first, but some eye-catching imagery — awoman voyeuristically watches a naked man shave his pubes in one scene — gives you a good hint. The denouement is bloody, naturally, and hardly subtle, but satisfyingly wild — something to really sink your teeth into.