Rating summary

Movie		4.0
Video		4.5
Audio		4.5
Extras		1.5
Overall		4.0

Gwen Blu-ray Movie Review

Something wicked this way comes.

Reviewed by Randy Miller III October 13, 2019

One of the more impressive original films created for AMC's Shudder streaming service, William McGregor's debut feature Gwen is an intimate 19th-century period drama peppered with elements of unsettling horror. Shot entirely on location in the bleak mountains of Snowdonia, our title character (Eleanor Worthington Cox) ekes out a meager farming life with her stern mother Elen (Maxine Peake) and younger sister Mari (Jodie Innes); the jury's still out on dad (Dyfrig Evans), who no longer lives with the family but, according to the mother, will return someday. Their modest rural life is full of hardship and peppered with occasional bursts of happiness...but when a neighboring family dies of cholera, it seems to set off a chain of more bad omens: an animal heart nailed to their door, strange conversations with the town minister, noises during the night, and a partially ruined crop, just for starters. After visiting the neighbors' abandoned farmhouse against her mother's wishes, Gwen begins to doubt the official explanation of their deaths.

As our own Brian Orndorf noted in his theatrical review less than two months ago, Gwen is by no means an easy watch. It's an intensely somber production shot with outstanding attention to detail; the kind of film that achieves a high level of atmosphere and emotional weight on what was likely a small budget. The costume design, makeup, and shooting locations go a long way towards establishing its unique tone, which is further enhanced by mostly natural lighting and a terrific sound mix that captures layer upon layer of fierce winds, mountainous echoes, and a sparse but perfectly-fitted original score by James Edward Barker. As a total package, it's at least as good as the sum of its parts.

While Gwen's relatively meager plot occasionally struggles to match the crippling emotional weight of its tone and setting, those who enjoy slow-burning dramas will find themselves almost immediately hypnotized by the spell it creates. It's the kind of film that already feels timeless, ripe for future viewings to pick out subtle hints and layers you didn't notice the first time around. Acting is superb all around, with both Gwen and her mother leading the relatively small cast of less than a dozen real speaking parts. The rare moments of true horror are well-earned and extremely unsettling, both from their surprising rarity and the aforementioned sound design, which serves up a very effective brand of "quiet-loud" dynamics that simultaneously drop your guard while keeping things slightly off-balance.

Although it first premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival more than a year ago, Gwen's road to international distribution has thankfully led to a reasonably quick home video release. (No sign of it on Shudder's list of available titles, but I'd imagine that's coming soon enough.) For now, RLJ Entertainment's solid Blu-ray release adds a lot of support for the main feature with a great A/V presentation, but the extras don't dig as deep as expected.

Gwen Blu-ray Movie, Video Quality 

Shot entirely on location in Snowdonia (northwestern Wales, UK), Gwen's stark and hypnotic atmosphere is a big part of its overall effectiveness, so it's good to know that RLJ Entertainment's 1080p transfer handles everything the film throws at it. Overcast skies, natural lighting, and deep pockets of shadow are frequent visitors, giving outdoor scenes a reasonable amount of depth while flattening out the much more claustrophobic interiors. Colors are extremely muted for the most part but remain consistent, with suitably pale skin tones and period-specific costumes looking realistically drab. For this reason, a few brighter hues -- open fires, blood, exterior paint, and fresh vegetables -- often seem like comfortable oases in direct comparison. Shadow details are handled exceptionally well, as are sequences shot in very dense fog and other weather-related events. Only the darkest scenes, mostly by candlelight, are slightly hampered by visible noise and very slight compression artifacts, but these are few and far between. For the most part, this Blu-ray offers an exceptionally crisp and satisfying transfer that fans and first-timers will appreciate.

Gwen Blu-ray Movie, Audio Quality 

Not to be outdone is the DTS-HD 5.1 Master Audio mix, perhaps an even bigger key to Gwen's oppressive atmosphere. Dialogue scenes and other moments are extremely hushed but remain crisp, often featuring subtle background noises. Wind, thunder, and other harsh elements make excellent use of panning and rear channel presence, often dipping deep into lower frequencies to build a lot of layered tension. The original score by James Edward Barker is very sparse and organic but likewise sounds very full and dynamic when needed. Overall, it's a deceptively strong-sounding mix that, while not packed with wall-to-wall excitement, remains a great example of effective "quiet-loud" sound design.

Optional English (SDH), Spanish, and French subtitles are offered during the film, some of which also translate a few stray lines of Welsh dialogue. These are formatted nicely; small but legible, and placed within the 2.39:1 frame.

Gwen Blu-ray Movie, Special Features and Extras 

Gwen arrives on Blu-ray in a standard keepcase with poster-themed artwork, a matching matte-finish slipcover, and no inserts. On-disc extras are minimal but at least offer a surface-level peek at the production.

• Interviews - These include two separate Q&A-style conversations with actresses Maxine Peake ("Elen", 12:14) and Eleanor Worthington-Cox ("Gwen", 8:39), who briefly talk about their respective characters, attraction to the roles, working with the director, shooting in Snowdonia, the period costumes and make-up, working with one another, and more. These are enjoyable enough but cover almost identical ground, and I wonder if a longer group conversation would have yielded more interesting and detailed answers from both ladies.

• Photo Galleries - Two separate click-through galleries highlight a few beautiful candid behind-the-scenes moments and more promotional-style images in varying aspect ratios. Roughly two dozen in all.

Gwen Blu-ray Movie, Overall Score and Recommendation 

Gwen is a high-quality period drama peppered with intense horror, blanketed by an effective atmosphere thanks to its excellent visuals and sound design. While the story itself does not always carry enough weight or deeper meaning to match, this is still a very unique production that stands out in a typically low-rent genre filled with cheap jump scares. Gwen earns all of its slow-burning terror, infrequent as it may be, and remains mostly compelling for the right reasons. RLJ Entertainment's Blu-ray offers an extremely strong A/V presentation but only a few surface-level bonus features. Still, this surprise international hit comes highly recommended for fans and first-timers at the current price point.