Effi o Blaenau (15)

Based on Gary Owen's much lauded and widely performed one-woman play, Iphigenia in Splott, Effi o Blaenau is director Marc Evans' cinematic interpretation set against the wide open landscapes of North Wales. The Welsh-language film follows Effi, a young woman desperate to escape a town where the pubs are closed, the jobs have vanished and her grandmother works night shifts in the local chip shop just to get by. A chance encounter in a Llandudno nightclub with injured soldier Lee, played by Tom Rhys Harries, briefly opens a door to something better. For a moment, Effi glimpses a life she never imagined. The reality that follows is far tougher.

*In Welsh with English subtitles.

“A tremendous performance from Gwenllian, blistering. An absorbing, propulsive story that keeps you on the edge of your seat” ★★★★ Peter Bradshaw, The Guardian

DIRECTOR: Marc Evans

CAST: Leisa Gwenllian, Tom Rhys Harries, Owen Alun, Nel Rhys Lewis, Mared Llywelyn, Sion Eifion, Carys Gwilym and Leah Gaffey