Recipient of the James Tait Black Memorial Prize awarded by the University of Edinburgh, the renowned play Iphigenia in Splott (2015) is reimagined in Effi O Blaenau—a Welsh language feature film which premiered at Glasgow Film Festival on Tuesday 3 March. The Student sat down with BAFTA-winning director Marc Evans and sensational rising star Leisa Gwenllian to discuss the makings of the distinctly cultural, assuredly Welsh, one-of-a-kind project.
Immersed in wild and vast landscapes, we are quickly acquainted with Effi, a defiant and temperamental ‘angry young woman’ with an unwavering, loud, vulgar mouth. Hangovers and cup noodles greet our lead’s mornings, while vodka is wedged in between her recoveries and a nightly routine of pre-gaming. One eventful night out finds her path crossing with a soldier (Tom Rhys Harries), an unfortunate meet-cute that catalyses a turbulent trajectory where hope is quickly spoiled and spun into a calamitous journey of injustice and hardship. Beaconing the importance of community in persisting against disaster, the film settles audiences into uncomfortable truths as living by necessity in a corrupt system is quickly learned and consequently, rendered a default under ruthless condemnation or a mere lack of choice.
Effi’s breathless tale is electrified by Leisa Gwenllian, who brings a voracious star-power, surging the play off the stage floor and onto the screen. There is a thoughtful balancing of rugged profanity paired with a sophisticated, doe-eyed naivety, merging to produce an empowering and searing performance that stretches and tests the margins.
The Welsh-born actor explains how a connection formed with Director of Photography, Eira Wyn Jones, who supported the formation of the “dream role”. The filmmaker’s insights stood central in crafting Effi’s experience of motherhood, successfully “feminising the shoot”. The actor expressed her gratitude for the story’s ability to resonate with those on and off set, where her cathartic performance had produced an overwhelming response, receiving strong appreciation, particularly from young Welsh women.
“Sometimes you feel it’s such a heavy day, but what a privilege it is,” shared Gwenllian.
The connection between “the landscape and Leisa”, as detailed by Evans, enabled the successful unravelling of Effi’s intricate narrative. The film’s locations lend a quiet authenticity that will feel familiar to anyone accustomed to countryside living—the long commutes, the isolation of winding roads, and the defeat of arriving home in the dark. The recurring images, experienced by Effi herself, ground the narrative in a recognisable rhythm of rural life. Expansive, luminous shots of the Welsh landscape stretch across the screen, standing in stark contrast to the film’s more sombre themes. Nowhere is this juxtaposition more striking than when Effi arrives at the hospital. The dimly lit wards stripped of warmth, with exposed wires hanging like frayed nerves from the ceiling, become a silent indictment of the UK’s current healthcare system. The building itself feels like a body under strain with exposed veins and a flickering pulse, its failing infrastructure mirroring the exhaustion and neglect embedded within it. “In the play you imagine it, but in the film you actually see it,” Gwenllian expressed on rewatch of the film at its world premiere.
For those who have read Owens’ play, a notable change from the drama was the relocation from urban Cardiff to rural North Wales; the original play had referenced the Welsh capital on several occasions, naming Splott, St Mary’s Street, and Ely as core locations. Language was a priority for the director, and he visualised where it came most naturally, commenting that “Blaenau is a very visual place. It tells you stories just by looking at it.”
The Welsh language stands at the very heart of the film. Evans and Gwenllian speak proudly of its endurance and vitality: “Welsh is like water, it finds its way through.” That fluidity is palpable onscreen. The actors do not simply recite their lines; they own them, embodying the film’s firm commitment to the principle that “authenticity is key.” Even when the dialogue is explicit, proclaimed “dirty Welsh,” the film embraces this version that transitions swiftly between traditional Welsh and ‘Wenglish’, suggesting that evolution does not dilute identity but enriches it. As the filmmakers observe, there is beauty in “owning the way the language has evolved,” and the cultural interconnectedness truthfully reflects how many modern Welsh speakers talk.
“The language drove us to the place,” Evans confidently stated.
Effi is not a story about the Welsh language, but rather a film within the Welsh language.
“We have Welsh cinema—but this kind of film doesn’t exist in the Welsh language. It’s not really happened before. I think young Welsh women, and young people, will be very intrigued by this film. It’s something really special.”
Effi O Blaenau marks a new era of Welsh cinematic prominence, weaving a complex portrayal of a spirited, working-class, young woman who must overcome the systems of injustice that suffocate her, where she must decide to swim, not sink, against the tide.
The film will be released in UK and Irish cinemas on Friday, 19 June.
Image provided by GFF for press use.