MAGPIE

Annette (Daisy Ridley) and Ben (Shazad Latif) are raising child actress Matilda (Hiba Ahmed). When Matilda earns a spot in a film with renown actress Alicia (Matilda Lutz), Annette and Ben's already crumbling marriage is put to the ultimate test. A study in the disintegration of a marriage. Annette stops working for marriage and children, moving out of London and into a countryside home to support her author husband Ben, who is the sole breadwinner. However, Annette soon becomes disenchanted with being a stay-at-home mom, meeting with a former coworker to catch up while simultaneously and deliberately hurting/punishing herself in order to feel something other than the mundane tasks of caring for 2 young children. Meanwhile, Ben is smitten with the well-known Alicia, who he confides in, hoping to find in her what Annette cannot provide at home. I'd heard the term magpie before but didn't know it was a bird and one that's quite intellectual, which is appropriate for this film as there's quite more to Annette than meets the eye. Neither Annette or Ben are blameless as Annette can be seen at times as a neglectful mother while Ben is an emotionally infidelity husband. And while the audience is well ahead by the time the third act plays out, it's still fun to watch it all unfold nevertheless. Nothing outstanding or particularly memorable from this but one that's decent enough to earn 90 minutes of your time. 6.5/10