The new film by legendary British filmmaker Marc Evans, Effi o Blaenau centres on a young woman living in Blaenau Ffestiniog as she battles austerity, poverty and the toxic coping mechanisms that shape her existence in this post‑industrial landscape. We sat down with Marc before a gala screening to discuss what The Waffler has already deemed a "highlight of recent indie British cinema."
Marc, congratulations on the reception that Effi o Blaenau is already receiving. From Kermode to the Mail, critics are celebrating this striking social drama. It is a really exciting time for Welsh Cinema.
This film draws on the myth of Iphigenia but places it firmly within modern Wales. What did that fusion unlock for you emotionally that a more straight adaptation wouldn't?
I think that's more a question for Gary (Owen, the playwright who wrote the source play Iphigenia in Splott), you know, the writer, but I know where the idea came from. The gauntlet was thrown to write a play based on a Classical archetype, and Gary picked Iphigenia because she's a woman who sacrificed herself for the state. In the play the central idea is that this woman, this poor woman, takes a hit for the rest of us. And that's really, as far as it goes, in terms of the classical motif if you like. And so, I suppose it just evolves to each of the different forms and the different versions of the story, you know? In the play, the audience were presented with a girl from Cardiff who talks to them in a monologue, and we wanted to make it into a drama set in North Wales, in the Welsh language. I think, in a way, the story gets further and further away from the classical myth, but nevertheless, that's clearly what the starting point was.
Am I right in saying that originally Gary's play was set in Splott (a notoriously lively and brilliantly named part of Cardiff)? Why move it to North Wales?
That's right. It was set in Splott. Exactly. We moved it because you can't do much with the Welsh language in Splott, I don't think (the 2021 census states that only 12.2% of Cardiffians are Welsh speakers). Because the Welsh language really exists in the north, and people who live in the north, they kind of... they live and breathe the language. In Cardiff, it's a language that exists, but it's a language that's more learned in school. I wanted to go to a place where the language was just, like, in their DNA, right? I chose Blaenau Ffestiniog, because Blaenau Ffestiniog is such an amazing looking place (He’s not kidding. In a country that is almost universally gorgeous, it's one of Wales' most vivid landscapes).
That dramatic background, it's amazing. Filmmaking is about pictures, isn't it? Effi o Blaenau's first image is a council estate in front of a wall of slate. That image tells you immediately that this girl lives in a council estate in a post-industrial town. Which means that you have to work a bit less hard to tell that side of the story. And if you're doing a straight urban story, a lot of these stories about poverty are set in a generic urban situation, aren't they? I mean Cardiff or Carnarvon or Sheffield or Manchester don't seem that different to each other. So, it made it feel more Welsh. It gives the film that sort of unique personality.
I was going to ask you about how you translated Gary Owen's writing into cinematic language...
I suppose that's part of it. He did all our heavy lifting by turning a monologue to dialogue. It's then about finding the gaps, thinking what can you tell visually? But the script has some very sparky dialogue and it is very funny dialogue. So, when you see the film, I think that even though it's a kind of tough film, it is bloody funny. The kids are really funny in it.
Considering Leisa (Gwenllian, who plays the titular character), her role is incredibly raw. How do you create an environment where an actor can go that far without it feeling unsafe or unduly exposed?
I did a couple of things (it is clear that this subject is very important to Marc). One is, I got a female DOP (Eira Wyn Jones). So, the person behind the lens who looks closest is also a young woman. So, it's Leisa's first film as an actress, it's the DOP's first film as a DOP. They are also a similar age, plus Eira has children, and the film has a big theme about having kids and pregnancy. So, Eira was able to help Leisa through some of the scenes she had to do. And then the second thing is, really, is just respecting the actor's, especially a young actor's, space and making them feel safe. I think the key for me was how the choice of DOP really helped.
Do you see Effi o Blaenau as a specifically Welsh story or a story that happens to be told in Welsh?
I was thinking about this earlier when I discovered that (hateful right-wing tabloid) The Sun has given me 5 stars, right? I was scratching my head because normally with these sort of films you expect The Guardian to maybe come out for you, but not really the tabloids. And I came to the conclusion that this isn't a film for the medium of Welsh, it’s Welsh to the medium of film. Because, obviously, something's happened with the story that makes the barrier of the language less of an issue. So, with some nice luck and timing, I think we made a film that people understand, if you like, despite the language. I would say that this is a film that happens to be in Welsh, not a film that defines itself by being Welsh. Obviously, it's totally Welsh, and I’m very proud of that! But in these [English medium] reviews it is smashing it!
With that, what do you want people to take away from the film?
What's the story? I think it's always about the story. But also, some people describe it as a social realist film, which means that it's a critique, right? It's a film that talks about what's wrong with this country and how people like Effie are neglected and suffering and not serviced properly by the state. But the thing that distinguishes it, and what maybe makes it feel quite watchable, is that it's about survival, not about suffering. It's about a girl who survives and comes through. I don't want to spoil it, but there's a sort of triumph to her in the end. And I think that's really important, especially when speaking about young people, you want the energy and the hope of that young person to survive the trials and tribulations of the situation that she's in.
So, she's a sort of victim of circumstance, but shaping her own fate?
Exactly. She's got agencies, she's got mixed decisions.
If you were going to show this film with two other films on a triple bill, what would they be? (Usually, when I ask people this particular question there is an, understandably, anxious pause, but Marc is straight off the bat, fair play)
One of them is very, very obscure, but it's something that Mark Kermode asked me to talk about the other day: a film called Padre Padrone. It's a Sardinian film, which deals with a Sardinian shepherd who has to go to Italy, and it's about two cultures: big culture, little culture. And the other films I would show it with, is probably... something by directors I really admire, perhaps Ratcatcher by Lynn Ramsay, or Andrea Arnold's Fish Tank.
Well, thank you Marc and all the best with Effi o Blaenau's release!
Thank you very much. Very good questions.
Effi o Blaenau is in UK cinemas now. You can read our review here.