Cordelia centers on the titular character, a woman who lives with her twin sister in a basement flat in London. An unnamed, traumatic event has left Cordelia (Antonia Campbell-Hughes) riddled with fear, anxiety, and paranoia, and seemingly unable to connect with the world around her. This changes, however, when her sister goes on a vacation with her boyfriend, leaving Cordelia alone in the apartment. Soon strange phone calls and noises begin to terrorize Cordelia, and she finds refuge in her handsome cello-playing neighbor Frank (Johnny Flynn). That refuge is short-lived, however, as her paranoia continues to grow.

Much like the early Roman Polanski movies it draws from, Cordelia is confined almost entirely to an apartment that grows to feel very claustrophobic over the course of the story. Director Adrian Shergold expertly uses the setting to invoke feelings of unease and anxiety, doing very well to put us in Cordelia’s headspace. Each mysterious phone call, sound, or discovery adds to the growing sense of dread that is present throughout. The sustained atmosphere that Shergold is able to create, as well as effectively placing the audience firmly in Cordelia’s point of view, makes the movie a hold your breath in anticipation type experience. Shergold also paces the story well, always dropping enough to keep the viewer engaged without tipping his hand too much. As the psychological layers peel away and Cordelia begins to question what is real and not, we too ask the same questions. 

Antonia Campbell-Hughes, as Cordelia, turns in a tremendous performance. It’s a difficult, inward role to play, as a lot of Cordelia’s trauma through the first part of the movie is internalized. But Campbell-Hughes does exceptionally well to convey that she has been through something very difficult, and the burden that she carries as a result of it. While this aspect of the performance alone would have been cause for praise, it’s the various facets of Cordelia that Campbell-Hughes brings forward that make the performance all the more exceptional. She plays meek and scared equally as well as she does detached and terrifying. While there are many other positives in the movie, Campbell-Hughes performance alone makes the movie worth watching. 

Shergold also effectively builds the relationship between Cordelia and her love interest Frank. It’s a pivotal part of the story, as Cordelia’s meeting with Frank sets a lot of the events in the story into motion. Campbell-Smith and Johnny Flynn have excellent chemistry together, and the shifting power dynamic between them is vividly performed by the actors, and engaging to watch. Without the two leads carrying things as well as they do, Cordelia probably doesn’t succeed as well as it does. 

While a majority of the movie is a success, there are certain parts of it that do fall a little flat. The reveal of Cordelia’s trauma feels a little anti-climactic, but that may also be by design. The story isn’t about the event itself, but the ripple effects that even had on a single woman. Beyond that, Cordelia is an expertly crafted film with excellent performances and a vivid atmosphere.

8 out of 10