November 3, 2026
FILM: LADY
DIRECTED BY: SAMUEL ABRAHAMS
WRITTEN BY: SAMUEL ABRAHAMS, MIRANDA CAMPBELL BOWLING
STARRING: SIAN CLIFFORD, LAURIE KYNASTON, JULIET COWAN
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Mockumentaries have been around for a while now and when they’re done well (The Office, What We Do in the Shadows, Best in Show) they can be some of the funniest comedies out there. Lady, from director Samuel Abrahams, is a mixed bag, featuring a great set-up, a somewhat tired second act, and a bizarre but ultimately sweet finish. Have we seen too many of these or does Abrahams do something different this time?
The first shots are what appear to be images of a dead woman around an English estate. Cut to the arrival of a camera crew led by Laurie Kynaston as director Sam and we begin to get glimpses of the strange, eccentric woman who lives there. Lady Isabella, played by Sian Clifford, immediately comes across as a larger than life figure trying desperately to make herself big and overly animated for the camera. She moves about the old estate, full of stuffed wildlife, as if she is an important subject to filmed. She claims that Netflix wants this film to be made about her, but doubts about that become more pronounced rather quickly.
There are some very funny scenes which describe her character and her goal. With her lavish outfits and wild hats, she sees herself as an “aristocracy’s version of a Kardashian.” Her goal is to be the winner of “Stately Stars,” a children’s talent show that she puts on at her estate. Of course, Isabella is far from a child’s age but it’s clear the woman has lost touch with reality and only becomes more unhinged as the plot develops. She lives alone except for a housekeeper Becky (Juliet Cowan) who seems to understand her. Isabella has a pet raven she refers to as “Ricky” and, most unusually, she is beginning to literally disappear.
Lady at first plays like a contemporary Sunset Boulevard with Sam being the young man who has come to help her make some claim to fame. Isabella is today’s Norma Desmond, living like a recluse with a huge pool and a mysterious personal and professional life. When she invites Sam to have dinner with her, there’s also, like the 1950 film, a clear indication that she has become enamored with the man.
The film does go off in surreal directions, including the increasing invisibility of Isabella, which seems to be a metaphor for her own sense of losing herself. What she stages for the talent show is also over the top but in keeping with the character she has been creating for herself. Whether you can buy into what she’s doing as a “real” character or not probably depends on your own comfortability with surrealism.
The film is wildly shot with handheld cameras swiftly moving from room to room with Isabella and Sam. Sometimes there are camera falls and canted angles that also carry on the mockumentary tradition. The setting is nicely captured with the estate’s large, cold rooms and significantly-sized outside acreage. This is old-time money that has seen better days but makes sense as a place for an out of touch woman like Isabella to reside.
Ultimately, a few important details about her are revealed and a mutual understanding develops between Isabella and Sam. There is a sweetness and return to reality near the end that definitely feels earned after all the characters, and we, have experienced.
The film might not be as accessible as other mockumentaries mentioned here but it generally works as a wild piece of entertainment.
Lady is currently playing in limited theatrical release, including the Gene Siskel Center in Chicago. It begins streaming on VOD November 6th.
FILM: LADY
DIRECTED BY: SAMUEL ABRAHAMS
WRITTEN BY: SAMUEL ABRAHAMS, MIRANDA CAMPBELL BOWLING
STARRING: SIAN CLIFFORD, LAURIE KYNASTON, JULIET COWAN
RATING: 3 out of 4 stars
By Dan Pal
Mockumentaries have been around for a while now and when they’re done well (The Office, What We Do in the Shadows, Best in Show) they can be some of the funniest comedies out there. Lady, from director Samuel Abrahams, is a mixed bag, featuring a great set-up, a somewhat tired second act, and a bizarre but ultimately sweet finish. Have we seen too many of these or does Abrahams do something different this time?
The first shots are what appear to be images of a dead woman around an English estate. Cut to the arrival of a camera crew led by Laurie Kynaston as director Sam and we begin to get glimpses of the strange, eccentric woman who lives there. Lady Isabella, played by Sian Clifford, immediately comes across as a larger than life figure trying desperately to make herself big and overly animated for the camera. She moves about the old estate, full of stuffed wildlife, as if she is an important subject to filmed. She claims that Netflix wants this film to be made about her, but doubts about that become more pronounced rather quickly.
There are some very funny scenes which describe her character and her goal. With her lavish outfits and wild hats, she sees herself as an “aristocracy’s version of a Kardashian.” Her goal is to be the winner of “Stately Stars,” a children’s talent show that she puts on at her estate. Of course, Isabella is far from a child’s age but it’s clear the woman has lost touch with reality and only becomes more unhinged as the plot develops. She lives alone except for a housekeeper Becky (Juliet Cowan) who seems to understand her. Isabella has a pet raven she refers to as “Ricky” and, most unusually, she is beginning to literally disappear.
Lady at first plays like a contemporary Sunset Boulevard with Sam being the young man who has come to help her make some claim to fame. Isabella is today’s Norma Desmond, living like a recluse with a huge pool and a mysterious personal and professional life. When she invites Sam to have dinner with her, there’s also, like the 1950 film, a clear indication that she has become enamored with the man.
The film does go off in surreal directions, including the increasing invisibility of Isabella, which seems to be a metaphor for her own sense of losing herself. What she stages for the talent show is also over the top but in keeping with the character she has been creating for herself. Whether you can buy into what she’s doing as a “real” character or not probably depends on your own comfortability with surrealism.
The film is wildly shot with handheld cameras swiftly moving from room to room with Isabella and Sam. Sometimes there are camera falls and canted angles that also carry on the mockumentary tradition. The setting is nicely captured with the estate’s large, cold rooms and significantly-sized outside acreage. This is old-time money that has seen better days but makes sense as a place for an out of touch woman like Isabella to reside.
Ultimately, a few important details about her are revealed and a mutual understanding develops between Isabella and Sam. There is a sweetness and return to reality near the end that definitely feels earned after all the characters, and we, have experienced.
The film might not be as accessible as other mockumentaries mentioned here but it generally works as a wild piece of entertainment.
Lady is currently playing in limited theatrical release, including the Gene Siskel Center in Chicago. It begins streaming on VOD November 6th.