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Lapwing

Play trailer Poster for Lapwing 2021 1h 29m History Drama Romance Play Trailer Watchlist
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100% Tomatometer 6 Reviews Popcornmeter Fewer than 50 Ratings
A mute young woman, Patience, from an isolated community in rural England in 1555, struggles with her controlling brother-in-law and leader, David, who is gradually unraveling after the failure of his idyllic community. The Egyptian Act has been passed, stipulating that all 'gypsies' must vacate England immediately and anyone found aiding them could be executed. In exchange for a fee, David agrees to help an Egyptian family who must stay a month on their land until a ship comes to take them away. The others in the community tolerate this decision, hoping it could lead them to a more prosperous life. But when Patience pursues an affair with one of the outsiders, she is thrust into a violent and vicious psychological battle with David, who sees her actions as a direct rebellion, and a threat to the power he desperately wants to maintain over the community.
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Lapwing

Critics Reviews

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David Jenkins Little White Lies 11/25/2021
3/5
A satisfyingly intense period drama with some nice moments of genre pay-off. Go to Full Review Peter Bradshaw Guardian 11/24/2021
3/5
Stark, oppressive, menacing, a historical drama with a slice of horror. Go to Full Review Edward Porter Sunday Times (UK) 12/08/2021
3/5
Stevens's drama is one of those films that give you an immersive sense of outdoor life: you can feel the wind on your face. The story - an attack on prejudice - isn't equally convincing, but the film puts it across with bracing melodramatic force. Go to Full Review Sarah Cook HeyUGuys 11/29/2021
4/5
Bleak and beautiful, Lapwing's fierce performances carry its nuanced and heartfelt story to great heights. Go to Full Review Thomas White Battle Royale With Cheese 11/27/2021
Lapwing is a bleak, beautiful study of race, sex and sense community. Go to Full Review Emily Maskell WeLoveCinema 11/24/2021
a work of decisively provoking menace Go to Full Review Read all reviews

Audience Reviews

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Par H @Parhwy Mar 27 Lapwing (2021) is a 90-minute-long British suspenseful drama I saw on Prime in 2026. This is a moody, dark film with more than one instance of SA. The story is that Queen Elizabeth I has banned Gypsies from the lands and a band of Gypsies encounters a group of English cultists. The plot is that one from each group fall in love. The cinematography is sometimes chocolate box beautiful with long pans of static actors or actors walking from one side of the screen to the other; other times, the camera is handheld and shaky. All scenes occur in what I would call "estuarine, Kentish, grassland." The costuming seems periodic; their dwellings are extremely basic (linen tents). Rewatch? No. Recommend? No, the SA and brooding, moody darkness is not offset by a few long, poetic scenes. 4/10. See more Chelsea P @RT29330056 10/29/2024 This movie is completely brilliant in every way. The script, photography, acting, music. It's totally visceral and has the feeling of an archetypal myth. It has something of The Revenant and The Promised Land about it. I wish it had had a wider audience. One of the best films I've ever seen. Warning - very shocking scenes. I applauded when it ended. See more PsychedelicMonkey! @Mikeyperki 06/24/2023 An amazing film! Atmospheric and highly engaging and beautifully shot and acted. Everyone envolved in the making of this should be so proud. Just a shame that it's not been seen by more people. See more Thomas S @RT38038238 06/04/2023 Very moving and captivating though the men seem to have Irish accents See more Read all reviews
Lapwing

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Cast & Crew

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Philip Stevens

Director

Emmett Scanlan

David

Sebastian de Souza

Rumi

Hannah Douglas

Patience

Javed Khan

Arif

Sarah Whitehouse

Lizzie

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Lapwing

Lapwing (2021) Lapwing (2021) Lapwing (2021) Lapwing (2021) Lapwing (2021) View more photos

Movie Info

Synopsis A mute young woman, Patience, from an isolated community in rural England in 1555, struggles with her controlling brother-in-law and leader, David, who is gradually unraveling after the failure of his idyllic community. The Egyptian Act has been passed, stipulating that all 'gypsies' must vacate England immediately and anyone found aiding them could be executed. In exchange for a fee, David agrees to help an Egyptian family who must stay a month on their land until a ship comes to take them away. The others in the community tolerate this decision, hoping it could lead them to a more prosperous life. But when Patience pursues an affair with one of the outsiders, she is thrust into a violent and vicious psychological battle with David, who sees her actions as a direct rebellion, and a threat to the power he desperately wants to maintain over the community.
Director
Philip Stevens
Producer
Andy Mullins, Philip Stevens, Justin Tagg, Andrew Mullins
Screenwriter
Laura Turner, Laura Turner
Production Co
World Serpent Productions, Urban Apatche, Hyperreal Films, Inceptive Films
Genre
History, Drama, Romance
Original Language
English
Runtime
1h 29m