Dragonfly (2025 film)
| Dragonfly | |
|---|---|
 Official poster | |
| Directed by | Paul Andrew Williams |
| Screenplay by | Paul Andrew Williams |
| Produced by |
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| Starring | |
| Cinematography | Vanessa Whyte |
| Edited by | Nina Annan |
| Music by | Raffertie |
Production companies |
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| Distributed by | Conic Films[1] |
Release date |
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Running time | 98 minutes[1] |
| Country | United Kingdom |
| Language | English |
Dragonfly is a 2025 British drama film written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams and starring Andrea Riseborough and Brenda Blethyn with Jason Watkins.
Plot
[edit]Elsie Richards is an elderly widow who lives alone in a semi-detached bungalow. She has limited mobility and an arthritic wrist, and receives regular visits from a care agency to wash her and help tend to her home.
When an agency worker cuts her allotted hour short, Elsie is visited by her thirty-five-year-old neighbour Colleen. She begins handling shopping runs for Elsie and assists with errands around the house, and the two strike up a friendship. When Elsie snaps at a worker in the shower, Colleen volunteers to care for her instead. Lonely and bereft of consistent visits from her family, Elsie accepts.
Throughout their time together, Elsie learns that Colleen was abandoned by her mother at the age of eight and spent the rest of her youth in the care system. She relies on state benefits and lives with her loud but gentle bull-breed dog, Saber. Elsie's son, John, learns of the arrangement with Colleen and expresses his disapproval to his mother over the phone.
John makes a visit to Elsie's house and meets Colleen. Their introduction is strained, with John asking her pointed questions about her personal life, though he nonetheless expresses gratitude to her for looking after Elsie. Following his departure, the police arrive at Colleen's house to detain Saber. An enraged Colleen tries to intervene and is arrested.
When she is released, Colleen tells Elsie that Saber has been put down. She ceases her visits and ignores any attempts at contact from Elsie. John confides in his mother over the phone that he reported Saber as a dangerous dog to the police, to her horror. Unbeknownst to them, Colleen overhears the conversation from outside the house.
The next morning, Elsie discovers a waste bin emptied all over her garden, and she awakens at night to find Colleen sitting on the end of her bed. Colleen states that what happened to Saber will not affect their friendship, and she leaves. John calls the police, though they do not find Colleen at her home.
Another night, Elsie receives a call from her son's wife, saying that John left to visit her again but has fallen out of contact. Elsie enters her kitchen to find Colleen there, dazed and covered in bloodstains. Elsie receives a second call from John's wife, revealing that the police have found his body. Colleen cuts her wrist and bleeds to death at the kitchen table. Terrified, Elsie slips in the resulting pool of blood and breaks her leg.
Some time later, Elsie's injured leg is placed in a cast and she is moved from her home to an assisted-living facility. An employee offering refreshments to residents walks by Elsie, who stares silently ahead.
Cast
[edit]- Andrea Riseborough as Colleen
- Brenda Blethyn as Elsie
- Jason Watkins as John
Production
[edit]The film is written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams, who wrote the script during the Covid-19 pandemic. The film was designed to be shot under pandemic restrictions, but principal photography did not take place until after the pandemic restrictions had ended. The film was shot in several locations in two Yorkshire towns called Knottingley and Castleford. The character of Elsie contains characteristics close to his own mother and maternal grandmother. Actress Andrea Riseborough had a high degree of creative input into the costume of her character Colleen.[3] The drama stars Brenda Blethyn as Elsie, with Jason Watkins cast as her son.[4][5]
The film is produced by Giant Productions and Meraki Films with Marie-Elena Dyche and Dominic Tighe as producers.[6]
Release
[edit]The film had its world premiere at the Tribeca Festival in June 2025 ahead of its British premiere at the Edinburgh Film Festival in August 2025.[7]
Reception
[edit]Critical response
[edit]On the review aggregator website Rotten Tomatoes, Dragonfly holds an approval rating of 93% from 15 reviews.[8]
Peter Bradshaw in The Guardian described the film as "stark, fierce, wonderfully acted", and "riveting" with "elements of Mike Leigh but also moments of thriller and even horror".[9]
Accolades
[edit]At the Tribeca Festival in New York, Blethyn and Riseborough received a joint performance award in June 2025.[10] The following month, it won the international feature award at the Galway Film Fleadh in Ireland.[11] Riseborough and Blethyn were nominated for best joint lead performance at the British Independent Film Awards 2025.[12] Dixie who plays Colleen's dog, Sabre, was awarded Femme Fido and Best in World at the Fido Awards 2026. [13] The film's composer Raffertie was nominated for Best Original Film Score at the 71st Ivor Novello Awards.[14]
References
[edit]- 1 2 "Dragonfly (15)". British Board of Film Classification. October 17, 2025. Retrieved October 17, 2025.
- ↑ "Dragonfly - 2025 Tribeca Festival - Tribeca". Tribeca. Retrieved October 9, 2025.
- ↑ Huff, Matthew (June 16, 2025). "In 'Dragonfly,' Andrea Riseborough's Canine Co-Star Even Has an Interesting Backstory (Exclusive)". Parade. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ↑ Wise, Damon (June 6, 2025). "'Dragonfly' Review: Andrea Riseborough And Brenda Blethyn Give Wings To Paul Andrew Williams' Poignant Neighborhood Drama – Tribeca Film Festival". Deadline Hollywood. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ↑ "Good Neighbours? Andrea Riseborough and Brenda Blethyn star in fragile story of friendship in 'Dragonfly'". BBC News. July 3, 2025. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ↑ Ide, Wendy (July 5, 2025). "Dragonfly' review: Andrea Riseborough and Brenda Blethyn headline potent Paul Andrew Williams drama". Screen Daily. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ↑ Anderton, Joe (July 2, 2025). "Brenda Blethyn's "gripping" and "shocking" British thriller confirms first UK screening". Digital Spy. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ↑ "Dragonfly". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved September 8, 2025.
- ↑ Bradshaw, Peter (June 7, 2025). "Dragonfly review – haunting, genre-defying drama of lonely city living". The Guardian. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ↑ Lewis, Hilary (June 12, 2025). "'Charliebird,' 'Happy Birthday,' 'Natchez' Top Tribeca Festival Award Winners". Hollywood Reporter. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ↑ Abbatescianni, Davide (July 15, 2025). "The 37th Galway Film Fleadh crowns Brendan Canty's Christy as its champion". Cineuropa.org. Retrieved July 16, 2025.
- ↑ Ritman, Alex (November 3, 2025). "'My Father's Shadow,' 'Pillion' and 'I Swear' Lead British Independent Film Awards Nominations". Variety. Retrieved November 3, 2025.
- ↑ Wise, Damon (March 2, 2026). "Fido Awards: British Indie 'Dragonfly' Is Best In Show At The Canine Oscars". Deadline. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
- ↑ Taylor, Mark (March 25, 2026). "Nominations announced for The Ivors with Amazon Music 2026". The Ivors Academy. Retrieved April 1, 2026.
