Nightmares at the end of the world Ireland. Forgotten by God, a modest village located on the edge of a cliff. The incessant noise of the surf, a piercing cold wind and several gray stone houses located a bunch next to each other - in such conditions, the school teacher Thomas Conroy (Stephen Mackintosh) invited his pregnant wife Martha (Samantha Morton) to permanent residence. Since both heroes come from Albion, such landscapes are not unusual for them, especially since for a newborn, proximity to almost virgin nature will only benefit. A small village, arranged like a closed commune, does not imply any secrets from its neighbors. However, there are people who attract maximum public attention to their personality. And in these places, this persona is young Daisy (Mhairi Anderson), who is one of her appearance leads people into a nightmare, and all her innocent actions lead to tragic consequences. One day, the girl’s entire family dies, and the authorities want to immediately send her to an orphanage. However, the warm heart of Martha can not just let go of the neighbor’s child and takes her under his care with the right to issue parental rights. Daisy clearly does not want to share her new mother with a potential newborn, or even with her husband. Thus begins a series of dangerous accidents, which clearly has a supernatural overtones. But how hard it is to believe the assurances of the neighbors, led by the strange Mr. Cryan (David Bradley), that the little girl can be an elven foundling from ancient Irish legends, who wants to get absolutely all the attention of the named mother to the detriment of others. And with the necessary bloody consequences ...
The director of the film called "The Chamomile Wreath" was a rather eminent Irish filmmaker Ashlyn Walsh, who for several decades developed domestic cinema, including work on the cult series "Pure English Murder." The underlying genres within which Walsh works are drama and crime. In this same tape, she decided to add a mystical component woven into the everyday life of the average young family. I cannot help but note that such an experiment with genres went to the picture only for the benefit, because the narrative unfolds somewhat slowly and, sometimes, tiring. Ashlyn Walsh is trying to drag us into the daily red tape of Martha and Daisy's relationship. With them we go to school, play with dolls, have lunch, go to bed and wash. In principle, for the development of characters, such components of the plot are important, but over time little changes and monotonous actions begin to tire. In addition, we do not forget that Martha is in the last months of pregnancy, which does not add to her aspiration and dynamics of movements, and Daisy is a mentally disabled person who is constantly in her own world.
Perhaps the viewing would have ended on a specific family drama, but the director still did not forget to saturate his film with action. The unexpectedly crashed car of a social worker, the paranoid fear of neighbors before Daisy, the mortal danger in the pool for mothers and young children, where Martha and Daisy came - all this evokes serious alarm during the viewing. At some point, you even begin to compare “The Chamomile Wreath” with such iconic world horrors as “Child of Darkness” and “Omen”. Well, an important role in all this mystical performance is played by actors. The main attention is taken by Samantha Morton, who became famous in 2002 thanks to the participation in “Minority Opinion” by Steven Spielberg. The actress impeccably conveyed the character of her character and motivations that connect her with Daisy. In addition, over time, the fascination with the girl turns into a real mania, which eclipses even the attention to your intrauterine child! And here on the arena comes Stephen McIntosh, staying in the shadow of a good half of the film. His character, Thomas, almost did not affect the course of life of the family, but a desperate desire to have a child and common sense for everything that happens makes him, perhaps, the only fully adequate character in the picture. Also, for the sake of interest, McIntosh has dealt with a similar narrative in 2007's The Baby, where he also had a complicated relationship with his wife and young child that led to the tragedy.
So, if Morton in the film had a maximum screen time, Mackintosh acted as the voice of reason, then the strongest feelings are, of course, Daisy performed by Mhairi Anderson. The girl managed to play her diabolical heroine so reliably that involuntarily you begin to wish her not the most pleasant moments. Behind the plausible serenity associated with mental disability lies a real demon who wants to get what he wants no matter what. Anderson plays brilliantly. Here she blithely jumps around Martha in a bright fairy costume, but covers the baby doll with her head, as if trying to strangle. It seems to be a very minor incident, but over time, such episodes become sharper and sharper, until they eventually lead to a tough and even shocking ending. So we can safely say that someone, namely young Mhairi plays the most juicy role in the film.
In the end, I want to say that "Wreath of chamomile" is a quality mystical thriller that reveals many characters and ends with more than a memorable spectacle. The main problem of the picture is excessive slowness, driving to sleep. However, the excellent performance of the actors and the brilliantly selected entourage do their job: the picture looks with alarming feelings of cold, darkness and hopelessness. I will not say that “Camomile Wreath” is a brilliant thriller or horror for all time, but with the appropriate mood to familiarize yourself with it is still worth it. The main thing is to know what to expect.
7 out of 10