Ladyworld

William Golding's Lord of the Flies is the obvious touchstone for director Amanda Kramer's fraught thriller when eight teenage girls at a birthday party are trapped in a house after some sort of mystery disaster buries the building. Features of Golding's novel like the leader's conch (here it's a crystal) and the threat of a beast (a man, in this case) are evident but this is a particularly feminine take on the breakdown of social norms. As Ryan Simpkins's Dolly exclaims, "We're not boys, we're not brutal", although that doesn't prevent the "ladies" unleashing their own brand of cruelty as paranoia, petty jealousies and mental meltdown take a grip. Ariela Barer (as sensible Olivia) and Annalise Basso (as surly Piper) give the stand-out performances as polar opposites in an intriguing survival-of-the-sanest tale. Trouble is, the incessant soundtrack of noises and ethereal voices really does grate after a while, eroding any sustained suspense just as events take on an increasingly surreal hue.