Dragonfly exists to remind us about the inherent loneliness of those on the fringes of society. We are quick sometimes to judge them, and other times don’t stop and think much about them at all.

Elsie (Brenda Blethyn), an older woman still firm in her independence, lives alone after the passing of her husband. After a recent fall, her son, John (Jason Watkins) arranges for a private nurse agency to take care of her. Though she clearly does not like dealing with them, she endures it anyway, letting a rotation of overworked nurses scurry in and out of her house.

Her neighbor, Colleen (Andrea Riseborough) takes notice of this. One day, after Elsie fires a nurse who doesn’t know her name, she decides to take care of Elsie herself. Though the two don’t know each other well, despite being neighbors, a bond quickly forms. Loneliness always finds its kind, and Elsie and Colleen latch onto each other, both desperate to prove something. Elsie needs somebody to see her, and Colleen needs to find a purpose that isn’t just her dog, Sabre, a loving pit bull.

Muted Palettes Lead To A Starkly Bleak Setting

Director Paul Andrew Williams frames both Elsie’s and Colleen’s lives through a bleak view. The home Elsie lives in has been hers for the last fifty years–since it was built, she tells Colleen. Colleen, though, is a newcomer in what appears to be a lower-income housing complex.

She especially, is a mysterious character because her intentions are never truly obvious throughout the film. More than once you’re left wondering if it’s all real, or if it’s even a mutual relationship. This sort of ambiguous bleakness is part of what makes Dragonfly so successful. You are never quite sure where things will go, you just have a sense of dread that things might not go well. That’s a testament to Riseborough’s phenomenal acting, much of which is internal.

Ultimately, things do go well between Elsie and Colleen. It’s more than just a neighborly relationship–you can see Colleen struggling with her own inner demons throughout the film, but she grows to truly care for Elsie as one would a friend or even a grandmother. Riseborough and Blethyn play off of each other amazingly well and in ways that are so nuanced and real. They are the beacon of the lighthouse of this story.

Watkins, who appeared just this past month in Wes Anderson’s The Phoenician Scheme, is a latecomer in terms of character, but his appearance marks the catalyst Dragonfly had been hinging on. You see how quickly things can turn, and what people can do when faced with unimaginable situations.

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