Thoroughbreds

An indie comedy with a razor-sharp edge revolves around two pretty, rich girls who hatch a plan for murder. Amanda (Olivia Cooke – Me, Earl and the Dying Girl, Ready Player One) struggles to convey empathy and so has been outside of mainstream education for years. She reunites with childhood friend, Lily (Anya Taylor-Joy – Split), through tutoring.

Lily appears prim and proper but inside, feels suffocated as she hurtles towards a life of privilege over which she has no control. The two seem polar opposites, but bond over a shared loathing of Lily’s stepfather - a domineering and volatile man who Lily endures to keep herself and her mother in luxury. When he wants to send her away to a boarding school, this is too far and Amanda’s suggestion about his murder suddenly seems less and less like a joke and more and more like a solution... Once they hire a small-time drug dealer, Tim (Anton Yelchin – Star Trek, Green Room), everything seems to fall into place. What could possibly go wrong?

The director, playwright Corey Finley, shows he’s just as capable on the silver screen as he is onstage, skilfully building up tension through camerawork and score alone. Thrilling and funny in equal measure, this is one of 2017’s hidden gems.

Gail Marshall