Brenda Blethyn’s Haunting Psychological Drama Dragonfly Lands On ITVX — A 92%-Rated Story Of Loneliness, Suspicion And An Unlikely Friendship That Takes A Devastating Turn

What begins as a simple act of kindness between two lonely neighbours gradually becomes something far more uncomfortable in Dragonfly, Paul Andrew Williams’ acclaimed British psychological drama starring Brenda Blethyn and Andrea Riseborough.

The 2025 film has now arrived on ITVX, giving UK audiences the opportunity to stream one of Blethyn’s most acclaimed recent performances for free.

At its centre are two women who appear to need each other for very different reasons: Elsie, an elderly widow struggling with inadequate care, and Colleen, her withdrawn younger neighbour who unexpectedly steps in to help.

But as their friendship deepens, suspicion begins creeping into the relationship — particularly when Elsie’s son becomes convinced that Colleen may not be as well-intentioned as she appears.

A friendship born from neglect and loneliness

Blethyn plays Elsie, an elderly woman living alone in a semi-detached bungalow in Yorkshire.

After suffering a fall, she relies on visiting carers for support, but her needs are not always being adequately met. Next door lives Colleen, played by Oscar nominee Andrea Riseborough, an isolated younger woman whose closest companion is her bull terrier, Sabre.

When Colleen notices Elsie’s situation, she begins helping.

She shops for her, cleans and provides the kind of everyday companionship Elsie has been missing. Colleen even buys a two-way radio so the pair can stay in contact.

For Elsie, the relationship brings company and practical help. For Colleen, looking after her neighbour appears to provide a new sense of purpose.

Yet Dragonfly deliberately refuses to make their relationship easy to interpret.

The audience is repeatedly encouraged to make judgments about these women — and then reconsider whether those instincts can actually be trusted.

Jason Watkins brings suspicion into the picture

The situation becomes considerably more complicated with the involvement of Elsie’s son John, played by Jason Watkins.

John is largely absent from his mother’s everyday life, but he becomes suspicious of Colleen and questions why this stranger has suddenly become so involved in Elsie’s care.

Watkins has described his character as a son who should be supporting his elderly mother more than he does, creating an uncomfortable contrast with Colleen, who is actually present and attempting to build a relationship with her.

That tension gradually transforms what could have been a straightforward drama about friendship into something much harder to categorise.

ITVX describes the film as a story of “friendship, resentment and retaliation,” while its psychological tension continually leaves viewers uncertain about where the real danger lies.

Dragonfly wants viewers to question their assumptions

That uncertainty is fundamental to writer-director Paul Andrew Williams’ approach.

Rather than simply presenting Colleen as someone audiences should immediately trust or distrust, the film examines how quickly people judge others based on class, appearance and circumstance.

Williams has explained that the characters were partly inspired by people familiar to him. Elements of Elsie came from his mother and grandmother, while Colleen reflected people he knew growing up in a small seaside town. He initially wrote the film during the COVID-19 pandemic, building the story around a limited number of characters and locations.

The result is an intimate drama where seemingly ordinary interactions carry increasing psychological weight.

Riseborough has similarly described the story as being deeply connected to friendship, loneliness and marginalisation, while noting that people cannot choose the circumstances into which they are born or where their lives ultimately end.

Brenda Blethyn and Andrea Riseborough drive the film

Much of Dragonfly rests on the performances of its two leads.

Blethyn brings decades of acclaimed work to Elsie, while Riseborough disappears into the far less immediately readable Colleen.

Their performances earned both actresses the Best Performance prize in the International Narrative Competition following the film’s Tribeca premiere.

Interestingly, Blethyn joined the project at short notice. She replaced Vanessa Redgrave and stepped into the role roughly a week before filming, yet Riseborough later described working with her as feeling like “coming home.”

That connection becomes especially important because Dragonfly spends so much time simply observing the two women together.

Their conversations, routines and small acts of companionship gradually build the emotional foundation necessary for the darker developments that follow.

Critics responded strongly to the slow-burning drama

Dragonfly currently holds a 92% Tomatometer score from 25 reviews on Rotten Tomatoes.

The site’s critics consensus highlights the performances and psychological dread while describing the film as a meditation on isolation, elder care and community.

That critical response reflects the unusual balance Williams attempts throughout the film.

This is recognisably a social drama concerned with loneliness, ageing and an overstretched care system, but it increasingly behaves like a psychological thriller.

There is a persistent feeling that something is wrong without immediately revealing where the threat is coming from.

That ambiguity allows Dragonfly to keep changing shape until its darker intentions finally become clear.

A film about people society stops noticing

 

Beneath the suspense lies something considerably more grounded.

Both Elsie and Colleen are isolated people who, for different reasons, exist largely outside the attention of those around them.

Their friendship temporarily fills that absence.

Williams and Watkins have discussed the film in relation to failures within social care and the assumptions people make about Colleen. Watkins also revealed that some viewers responded to the story by saying they wanted to call their mothers after seeing it.

That emotional foundation is what makes the thriller elements more effective.

The film does not begin with an extraordinary situation. It begins with an elderly woman who needs help, a lonely neighbour who notices and a family member who does not trust what he sees.

From there, Dragonfly asks viewers to decide whom they believe — before making them confront the possibility that their own assumptions may have been part of the problem.

Dragonfly, starring Brenda Blethyn, Andrea Riseborough and Jason Watkins, is streaming now on ITVX in the UK. Watch Dragonfly on ITVX