This British Psychological Thriller Is a Dark and Atmospheric Exploration of Trauma

Alfred Hitchcock laid the groundwork for psychological thrillers, and filmmakers have built on his legacy to create more inventive ways to manipulate audience perception. The British thriller Cordelia, directed by Adrian Shergold, is one good disciple of the master of suspense, building on other Hitchcockian classics to show a woman's slow mental unraveling like few films do. Set in a space that harks back to the unsettling world of Roman Polanski's horror classic Repulsion, Cordelia quietly pulls you into her breakdown. Like Hitchcock himself, Shergold keeps off graphic violence—aside for one scene—choosing instead to explore the mind, yet the film somehow manages to sustain a persistent, creeping sense of dread that lingers. He doubles up as a co-writer of the film's screenplay alongside Antonia Campbell-Hughes, who also stars as the titular Cordelia. Their writing relies on mood, atmosphere, and tension. They use claustrophobia, shadows, and silence to keep you on edge. The result is a dark take on trauma that draws power from the discomfort of the film's tight-space setting and characters' unclear motives.