An elegant yesteryear style of storytelling pervaded this curious movie, which was surprisingly captivating for me because I'd just randomly chosen to see it without any rhyme or reason. Written and directed by Thomas Clay, "The Delivered" (original name: "Fanny Lye Deliver'd") contained a literary flavour with a generous dose of suspense.
The tale harkened back to the mid-1600s (1657, to be precise) when puritanical Christianity set a tone that today will feel antiquated and bizarre. A couple of fugitives - Thomas Ashbury (played by Freddie Fox) and Rebecca Henshaw (Tanya Reynolds, who also narrated select portions of the film) - were on the run and ended up finding shelter on the Lye farm.
Before long, John Lye (played by Charles Dance), Fanny Lye (played by Maxine Peake), and their young son Arthur Lye (played by Zak Adams) found their mundane lives turned upside down. Both Thomas and Rebecca were 'living in sin', meaning they were open with their sexual desires for more than each other. This was taboo in the 1600s where puritanism was paramount. Repressed homemaker Fanny Lye felt her desires reach out toward Thomas but she tried to suppress them lest she 'sin'. The mild sexual tension between them added to the suspense in "The Delivered".
With the threat of the sheriff coming a-calling one morning, Thomas and Rebecca found themselves desperately planning to evade and then escape the Lye farm without being arrested. The High Sheriff for the Council of State (played by Peter McDonald) was hell bent on bringing the 'licentious heretics' to what he believed was god's justice.
The Lye family, on the other hand, had no clue they were even harbouring fugitives. By the time they learned the truth, circumstances turned drastic. Thomas and Rebecca had little choice but to threaten the Lyes if only to ensure their own safety under their roof.
The debate that ensued between Thomas and John about sin and purity was meaningful in all the right ways. It called to mind a prime tenet believed by the adherents of Thelema: "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law", a quote later made infamous by the notorious occultist Aleister Crowley.
Changes were soon enforced on the farm. Something tugged at my heartstrings throughout the Lyes' ordeal, such was the brilliance of Clay's direction. Desire and depravity rose to the occasion, and made the movie strangely captivating.
Each character's motives in the movie remained adequately hidden as complex human emotions came into play. The film aptly captured multiple layers of the human heart without sugarcoating it with sentimental fluff. When the tables turned, the story still held fast to its thread of suspense and rolled its way to a satisfying, if punishing, finish.
In addition to writing and directing, Thomas Clay also handled musical scoring for the movie. He did great work all round. Michael O'Connor's costume design was noteworthy. Superb work on art direction, set decoration, and production design as well. The hair-makeup team did an adequate job for "The Delivered" - some inconsistences observed here and there, like with the back of Thomas Ashbury's head. All crew did good work in the movie. The cast was outstanding.
I was surprised I enjoyed the film as much as I did. It was interesting to note how seamless it all was. Each artist gave an immersive performance, and the tone was on point with the time and practices of the 1600s. Freedom from repression and pursuit of redemption were a few underlying themes that prevailed in the script. With "The Delivered" Thomas Clay proved that less is indeed more.
The tale harkened back to the mid-1600s (1657, to be precise) when puritanical Christianity set a tone that today will feel antiquated and bizarre. A couple of fugitives - Thomas Ashbury (played by Freddie Fox) and Rebecca Henshaw (Tanya Reynolds, who also narrated select portions of the film) - were on the run and ended up finding shelter on the Lye farm.
Before long, John Lye (played by Charles Dance), Fanny Lye (played by Maxine Peake), and their young son Arthur Lye (played by Zak Adams) found their mundane lives turned upside down. Both Thomas and Rebecca were 'living in sin', meaning they were open with their sexual desires for more than each other. This was taboo in the 1600s where puritanism was paramount. Repressed homemaker Fanny Lye felt her desires reach out toward Thomas but she tried to suppress them lest she 'sin'. The mild sexual tension between them added to the suspense in "The Delivered".
With the threat of the sheriff coming a-calling one morning, Thomas and Rebecca found themselves desperately planning to evade and then escape the Lye farm without being arrested. The High Sheriff for the Council of State (played by Peter McDonald) was hell bent on bringing the 'licentious heretics' to what he believed was god's justice.
The Lye family, on the other hand, had no clue they were even harbouring fugitives. By the time they learned the truth, circumstances turned drastic. Thomas and Rebecca had little choice but to threaten the Lyes if only to ensure their own safety under their roof.
The debate that ensued between Thomas and John about sin and purity was meaningful in all the right ways. It called to mind a prime tenet believed by the adherents of Thelema: "Do what thou wilt shall be the whole of the Law", a quote later made infamous by the notorious occultist Aleister Crowley.
Changes were soon enforced on the farm. Something tugged at my heartstrings throughout the Lyes' ordeal, such was the brilliance of Clay's direction. Desire and depravity rose to the occasion, and made the movie strangely captivating.
Each character's motives in the movie remained adequately hidden as complex human emotions came into play. The film aptly captured multiple layers of the human heart without sugarcoating it with sentimental fluff. When the tables turned, the story still held fast to its thread of suspense and rolled its way to a satisfying, if punishing, finish.
In addition to writing and directing, Thomas Clay also handled musical scoring for the movie. He did great work all round. Michael O'Connor's costume design was noteworthy. Superb work on art direction, set decoration, and production design as well. The hair-makeup team did an adequate job for "The Delivered" - some inconsistences observed here and there, like with the back of Thomas Ashbury's head. All crew did good work in the movie. The cast was outstanding.
I was surprised I enjoyed the film as much as I did. It was interesting to note how seamless it all was. Each artist gave an immersive performance, and the tone was on point with the time and practices of the 1600s. Freedom from repression and pursuit of redemption were a few underlying themes that prevailed in the script. With "The Delivered" Thomas Clay proved that less is indeed more.