Review: 'Kindred' is a moody, broody suspense thriller that works, up until a dismal finale

The suspense thriller “Kindred” is an effective suspense thriller that features many of the essentials of the genre: A spooky mansion, death and mayhem, and the worst in-laws you’ve met in ages.

Charlotte (Tamara Lawrence) and Ben (Edward Holcroft) have a good, loving relationship. He’s a large-animal veterinarian, while she mucks out the stable — both at the English estate where Ben’s overbearing mom, Margaret (Fiona Shaw), rules the roost. 

Charlotte learns she’s pregnant, and she’s not entirely thrilled with the news. Ben’s excited about being a dad, but Charlotte worries she’ll be as bad as her mother, who’s referenced a lot here but never seen. Margaret is thrilled about having a grandchild, but bereft when Ben tells her they’re planning to leave England for Australia.

Not long after, Ben gets kicked in the head by one of the estate’s horses, and dies. That leaves Charlotte at the mercy of Margaret, who is determined to keep Charlotte in good health so she can have the baby. Margaret’s notions of health involve forced bed rest, making Charlotte a veritable prisoner in the mansion. Charlotte, suffering from fatigue and hallucinations, has to figure out whether she can trust Margaret’s overly attentive stepson, Thomas (Jack Lowden), or Jane (Chloe Pirrie), the estate’s horse trainer and Charlotte’s only friend.

Director Joe Marcantonio, a commercial director making his feature debut, deftly captures the sinister, slightly fetid atmosphere of Margaret’s mansion, turning it into a perfect setting for Charlotte’s nightmare pregnancy. The script, by Marcantonio and Jason McColgan, gives every character a moment to show they’re not all good or all bad, which gives the cast opportunities to glow. None is brighter, and at the same darker, than Shaw, a ferociously talented actress best known for “Killing Eve” and playing Harry Potter’s nasty Aunt Petunia.

If not for the movie’s finale, a painted-into-a-corner finish that seems needlessly cruel and inorganic to what’s happened before, “Kindred” could be one of the great thrillers of the last year. As it stands, it has a great build-up, and a somewhat aggravating finish. 

——

‘Kindred’

★★★

Opens Friday, November 6, in theaters where open. Not rated, but probably R for violence, bloody images and language. Running time: 101 minutes.