THEThe story he tells is very strange, yet it is not difficult to believe that it is based on a true story. Mischief at homeEnglish comedy starring Jessie Buckley and Olivia Colman, talks about the female condition and patriarchyvery concrete and current aspects.
Mischief at home on RaiPlay, plot and review of the film
1922. In the small English town of Littlehampton, Edith Swana spinster living with her parents, suddenly begins to receive anonymous, vulgar letters full of insults directed at her. Suspicions fall on his neighbor Rose Gooding, a young Irishman who disturbs the quiet community with his foul-mouthed and rebellious character.
Victim of prejudice, Rose is accused and imprisoned awaiting trial. Thanks to the help of her neighbors, she can pay bail and return to freedom. Immediately afterwards, the anonymous letters circulate again, now addressed to all of Rose’s acquaintances, once again in the eye of the storm. Officer Gladys Moss, the only woman in the police station, notices some inconsistencies in the case: He therefore begins to investigate to find out who the culprit is.
Mischief at home takes place in a precise and non-random context. We are in 1922, shortly after the end of the First World War. During the conflict, with men busy at the front, women in England took care of internal affairs, working in particular in the war industry. Thus they discover the possibility of an active role with a specific weight. At the end of the conflict, they do not want to give up what they have gained: men do not accept their insubordination and create an even more patriarchal society.
Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley play Edith and Rose. (Imdb)
The film narrates this dimension through two polar opposite protagonists. Edith is a mature woman who embodies ideals of the past. Harassed by a father-master, who leaves her no room for maneuver, quiet and docile and therefore perfectly integrated into the community. Rose, on the other hand, embodies modern ideals of emancipation and freedom that men tend to suffocate. For this reason, she is frowned upon by right-thinking people, but manages to find help from some women who understand her position.
The story therefore brings out the distortions of an apparently perfect small town through the tones of a detective story. The atmosphere immediately recalls that of Agatha Christie novels starring Miss Marple. Even in Mischief at home there is a female detective, police officer Gladys, who must navigate a chauvinist world. His investigations will not only reveal the author of the letters but also poorly hidden secrets and grudges. Which were as frequent a hundred years ago as they are today.
The cast of the film
To take on the role of Edith, let’s find Olivia Colman. The actress born in 1974 won the Oscar in 2019 for The favourite and is also known for playing queen elizabeth in the middle seasons of The Crown. We recently saw her at the cinema with The Roses. Playing the woman’s father is Timothy Spall, famous Peter Pettigrew in the Harry Potter saga.
An increasingly rising actress and a fan of uncompromising female characters, Jessie Buckley is the face of Rose. Now it’s at the cinema with Hamletfor which she is the favorite for the next Oscars as Best Leading Actress. We’ll see her in March The bride!free interpretation of the story of Bride of Frankensteindirected by Maggie Gyllenhaal.
