“Lady” is Absurd and Emotionally Rewarding
When people think of documentaries about women living in stately manors, Grey Gardens is the one that likely comes to mind. The film came out in 1975 and followed a mother and daughter, both named Edith Beale, who lived in a mansion that had seen better days. Fifty years later, the effect of Grey Gardens on the documentary landscape can be seen in Samuel Abrahams’ mockumentary, Lady. Another woman living alone in a massive home with plenty of eccentricities.
Sam (Laurie Kynaston) is a documentarian who has been hired by Lady Isabella (Sian Clifford) to make a documentary about her life. She tells him that Netflix has approached her about this project and that of all available directors, Lady Isabella has selected Sam. When he and the small crew of camera people arrive, it’s clear that Lady Isabella is putting on a front, trying to keep up appearances. She’s absurd and narcissistic, but harmless. As Sam immerses himself in the project, however, strange things start to happen around the estate and he begins to second-guess what’s going on.
Obscured Pictures
Clifford is unleashed in Lady. It seems as though no idea or action could be too strange to include. Isabella is a menace, a rich woman who has rarely seen the outside world in half a decade. She’s the center of her universe and also the entirety of the universe. Everyone around her is a tiny blip in her existence. As Isabella describes herself early in the film, she is “aristocracy’s answer to the Kardashians.” She’s the exact person who would see that as a compliment and a desirable title to hold. Many will recognize Clifford from her role as Claire in Fleabag, a show that only allowed its main character to break the fourth wall. In Lady, Clifford easily finds the cameras, always selecting the perfect moment to lock eyes with the lens for the biggest comedic effect.
Lady isn’t just an hour and a half of delighting in the madness of Clifford and the straight men who are the comedy foils that surround her, although there’s plenty of that to enjoy. Lady grows behind simple comedy and allows humor to serve as the basis for exploration of grief and loneliness. Part of the reason Sam decides to stay and continue work on the documentary is that one night Isabella starts to become invisible. Lady is not a one-note. The comedy and the inherent weirdness of the circumstances open up the script to explore why Isabella acts in this fashion. It’s not merely narcissism or wealth going to a person’s head, but a manifestation of a woman’s feelings of loss that have not been processed. Clifford’s talent turns Isabella into a layered woman, while never losing the sense of humor that is the heartbeat of Lady.
The mockumentary is a difficult genre to work within. There has to be a reason this character has a camera following them around, and said camera has to be addressed in some way. Lady excels because of the beautifully crafted woman at the center, but also because of how deeply it is willing to explore the depths of human loneliness.
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