LFF 2014 - Electricity

On the surface if someone was to tell you that one percent of the population has epilepsy it wouldn't strike as much as reaffirming that this in fact totals to over 65 million people. It's a staggering figure and one that I'm sure many of you will not have known, let alone the actual impact such a disorder has on those experiencing the side effects day in, day out.

For such a strong neurological disorder to have been portrayed neither powerfully or enough within cinema leaves a question mark, but in the latest film from director Bryn Higgins - Electricity - we have a seemless portrayal of one woman tackling epilepsy and the impact it has on her life as a whole.

Lily O'Connor (Agyness Deyn) is mourning the death of her mother and is reunited with her brother Barry (Paul Anderson) as the obligatory last will and testament issues arise. Working as a cashier at a seaside amusement arcade, Lily's life is far from the excitement that she would possibly like to experience but part of that is down to her struggles with constant bursts of epilepsy beyond her control.

While attempting to deal with her mother's property and tracking down her missing brother Mikey (Christian Cooke), Lily finds herself aided by Mel (Lenora Crichlow) in London. With aid in all the right places and the net closing tighter on her long-lost brother, Lily finds that the biggest obstacle in her way is her disorder; one that is infused with an electrical ferocity and can strike at any moment.

As ambitious a project as Electricity is, director Bryn Higgins is a man who is firmly in control of his overall delivery of a subject that many have shied away from in the past. With the subject of epilepsy creating the core of his film it could have been immensely easy to over-exert this onto viewers and also really over-exuberate on the topic, but Electricity is a fine example of how to tenderly and responsibly explain just how such a disorder creates a great hole in the life of those experiencing it.

Part of that is down to the direction of the film, with the moments of epileptic seizures beautifully captured in an Alice In Wonderland-esque barrage to the senses. Electrical currents, melting visuals and a distinct sense of an otherworldly place all creating a sense of how this disorder takes hold and immerses one into a state of flux. Each and every moment of visual creativity is diverse and sells the controlled state one finds themself within when the epilepsy takes hold.

In collaboration with the wonderfully crafted moments from Higgins and his team, the star of the show Deyn is simply breathtaking and undeniably well versed in just how her character would react to such a burdoning illness in her life. Tackling the role head-on with a core emotion and determination like few others, the model-turned-actress is in a role that could define her for years to come and she handles this superbly, with no sign of a flaw throughout.

The support cast are also a breath of fresh air as we encounter the brash and over-confident nature of Lily's poker-focused brother Barry and her less-than-inviting younger sibling Mikey. The ever-reliable Lenora Crichlow also adds an interesting angle as a friendly stranger whose own life entangles with that of a much more complicated individuals, resulting in some strong scenes unfolding.

Key to the proceedings is the film's setting, as we whisk from the shorelines of the north of England, the waves lapping in the distance creating a calmer approach to life, while the travel to London ultimately presents the more manic and jarring events in Lily's life. It's a transition that works perfectly for both the epilepsy aspect of the film and the quest to find her brother.

Handled beautifully and driven strongly and succintly by an absolutely staggering performance from Agyness Dean, Electricity is a wonder; a film grounded in realism and forever possessing an awareness for a subject that has rarely been uncovered on screen. If you need another reason why British film is regularly considered among the elite of the cinematic realm then look no further than this, another trail blazer of magnetic proportions.