My Cousin Rachel

Philip Ashley (Sam Claflin) is taken in by his cousin Ambrose when his parents died as a child. When Ambrose goes through his own period of illness, he goes abroad to Florence to aid his recovery where he meets and falls in love with his cousin Rachel. When Ambrose passes away a short term later, Philip has reason to believe Rachel may have been complicit in his death and goes to Italy in search of clues to her whereabouts. Rachel reappears in England and after spending time with her, Philip's concerns appear to fade. But is Rachel all that she seems?

It's that question that drives much of the narrative here and it's the extent to which you can be invested in the answer that will determine your enjoyment of this film. With his cousin's passing, Philip is the lord of a big country estate complete with land, horses and staff and it's all very evocative of a particular time and place. Claflin plays him well as a somewhat pampered, naive young man approaching his 25th birthday. But it's Weisz who captivates as the titular Rachel, her attire for most of the film reminding me of the old Scottish Widow adverts. She seems to simultaneously personify charm, vulnerability and menace.

There's certain plot holes here that one needs to excuse. However outstanding Weisz is as the bewitching Rachel, Philip's "turn on a dime" attitude when he first sees her makes little narrative sense and there are a couple of other similar moments. The film's creepy incidental piano music to develop a sense of tension is also overused. But there's enough of intrigue here to keep one's attention, leading to a teasingly ambiguous finale. If nothing else, it's a stylish period drama and I suspect the best mainstream release this week by a country mile.