By Sandra Hall

Copyright smh

She was a famous architect and her coffin is lying in the austere entry hall to the grand house she designed on an isolated stretch of countryside for herself and her much younger wife, Jill (Vicky Krieps). Jack thinks that Jill invited him to be there but as time goes on, the truth of this is added to the film’s many riddles.

One thing is clear: Elizabeth’s fierce-looking sister, Helen (Sarah Peirse), is not pleased to see him. Nonetheless, he remains, and when everyone else leaves, he and Jill stay on in the house to see if they can help each other settle the unfinished emotional business that Elizabeth has left behind.

Van Grinsven and his co-writer, Jory Anast, are in no hurry to have these questions answered. Before you can work out where the script is taking you, you must feel your way through the shadowy rooms and passageways of the house. Van Grinsven doesn’t believe in shedding a lot of light on the action. His palette is mostly made of shades of grey accented by one or two colours. Nor could the dialogue be described as conversational. But in some well-staged dream and fantasy sequences, he does give you enough clues to divine the fact that Elizabeth’s spirit is possessing both Jack and Jill at different times during their nights together.

We discover that Jill is trying to make peace with some troubling memories of Elizabeth, while Jack, who has grown up in foster care, is cherishing the hope that she regretted surrendering him.