Maybrick

Charlotte Ainsworth’s Maybrick is a dramatization of a controversial but forgotten Victorian-era murder case that would have made a killer documentary on the 19th century version of Netflix. Combining elements of sexism, classism and racism with a shocking link to one of history’s most notorious figures, this short tells a gripping story of its own whilst making its subject both relevant to modern audiences and of its time.

American socialite Florence Maybrick (Nanci Bennett), is on trial in Victorian Liverpool for the murder of her husband James. With her arrest doggedly pursued by James’ brother Michael (Adan Osborne), scandalous details of liaisons emerge that destroy Florence’s reputation – despite her husband’s guilt of the same sins. With the prospect of an execution hanging over her, Florence searches for another method of salvation in a world stacked against her – and her intuition of the Maybrick family’s connection to a greater scandal may provide it…

Created by Liverpool-based filmmakers, Maybrick is an intriguing examination of a forgotten episode in the city’s history – one that collides brilliantly with the rebellious and non-conformist spirit that has emerged since the 80s. Sexual liberalism and feminism were as strange to Liverpool as anywhere else in the 1890s, and Florence Maybrick’s story is one that intriguingly stands out for the blights against her name that Charlotte Ainsworth brilliantly skewers in this drama.

The film has a dark tone that suitably matches the overwhelming force its subject is set against as she tries to clear her name against flimsy charges of poisoning. It is evident from the start that the wealthy, trusted Maybrick family name turns on her, as her deceased husband’s brother – brilliantly played by the acid-spitting Adan Osborne – wields the full force of societal expectation as a weapon. It is clear that existing outside of the norm is what has condemned Florence – with even housemaid Alice (Maisie Blake) standing against her despite knowledge of the family. Courtroom scenes are particularly intense and foreboding – with an intimidating pomp of the Victorian justice system brilliantly recognised by the set designers.

Nanci Bennett’s Florence is suitably stubborn and cunning. A heroine in the same mould as many upstart protagonists standing against the empirical conservatism of Victorian Britain, she is strong in the face of authority and unapologetic for the crimes she has not committed. There are some moments in her cell with Lisa Howard’s Baroness Von Roques or with Maisie Blake’s Alice where we see a more vulnerable side and the complexity of her circumstance comes to bare – the choice between a false confession and life, or a stand against the system that means death. A few more of these moments would have served the film better – and better placed it in the confines of the time period in which the attitudes of society seemed intractable and a stand against them a futile effort, making the character’s bravery all the more powerful. However given the shorter runtime, it is understandable that not every avenue can be pursued. Similarly, whilst there are some production hiccups such as the cleanliness of the film for the time period, it’s a forgivable indiscretion given the film’s budget, which is easily ignored due to the quality of the storytelling.

Maybrick is a great telling of a fascinating story that will be fresh to many a viewer. It captures the injustice of its case and draws an important line between the events it portrays and the modern day, and has enough intrigue to leave audiences desperate to know more about the case and its participants. And it doesn’t need 4 parts filled with filler to do it - Streamers take note.