The Liberation LFF review: Carrie Coon is sensational in gripping drama
I will watch anything Carrie Coon and Lily James are in so having them both in the same film made The Liberation a no-brainer for me – and it did not disappoint.
Guy Nattiv‘s English-language debut tells the very personal story of his grandmother Rita Cooper (played by Coon), a Holocaust survivor who had a midlife crisis and left her life and family behind to join a cult.
That is the basic premise, and what remains is a work of fiction inspired by the stories told to Nattiv by cult survivors. In this fictionalised story, Rita meets Ricki (James) at a bank and she invites her to an all-female meetup at the beach. A depressed Rita enjoys doing something for herself instead of her life revolving around her daughters Ella (Bella Ramsey) and Jo (Odessa Young) and husband Reuben (Tracy Letts). Ricki quickly sinks her teeth into Rita, pulling her away from her family and into the arms of her cult, Clarity. Honesty. Forgiveness.
That story is told via flashback alongside a present-day timeline where Ella and Jo drive three days to visit Rita at the cult’s remote farm in the middle of nowhere. This visit forces Rita to decide between Ricki and her daughters.
I was gripped by The Liberation from start to finish. I’m endlessly fascinated by how people can be lured into a cult in the first place. In this instance, Ricki’s group seems like a harmless wellness practice at first. She wants her members to be their happiest, healthiest selves and to free themselves from what ties them down. Sounds harmless, right? That’s until Ricki becomes increasingly controlling, enforcing strict diets and taking away medicine, and decides to move them to a secluded farm away from home.
Coon is sensational as someone in the grip of depression, looking for any way to change her stagnant life and feel happy. Her character makes questionable decisions and I couldn’t understand her (how could she do that to her family?!) but you can feel her conflict and torment through Coon’s performance. I was also impressed with James, who is a very charismatic cult leader – you can see why women would fall for her charms. She preys upon people in crisis but pretends that she’s doing it out of the kindness of her heart. Her character is maddening, in the best way.
The Liberation tells a dark, shocking story that is remarkably based on true events. I wanted to shake Coon’s character so hard; that’s how passionately I felt about the story. Highly recommend!
Showing at the London Film Festival. It is currently without a release date