With his debut effort in 2016, director William Oldroyd brought us Florence Pugh in his impressive Lady Macbeth.

Now, eight years later, he follows up with an adaptation of Ottessa Moshfegh’s 2015 debut novel of the same name, starring Kiwi actress Thomasin Mckenzie.

1960, Massachusetts, and 24-year-year old Eileen Dunlop finds herself working in a prison for young offenders. It’s a job see tolerates more than anything else, but it has to be better than looking after her drunk father (Shea Whigham) at home.

Then one day, a new employee arrives, glamorous psychologist Rebecca Saint John (Anne Hathaway), who looks like she’s just stepped out of the movies.

Rebecca seems interested in befriending young Eileen, which she can’t believe, especially when she asks her out for drinks.

Eileen is finally excited about something happening in her life, and is giddy with the prospect of spending more time with Rebecca, but their destiny together is not what she hopes for.

Oldroyd’s second film seemingly follows the current trends for new releases having a retro makeover, much like the recent The Holdovers, with its square-ish frame ratio and grainy stock, as well as retro titles, which all help to give an authentic sense of period.

It’s a film with a familiar tale, of a young woman wanting to break away from the monotony of her home life, for something far more exciting. It’s certainly helped by Hathaway, who simply sizzles whenever she’s on screen, so an audience can completely appreciate where the young protagonist is coming from.

Its journey, although predictable, is still watchable enough, and then, out of nowhere it pivots into an unexpected territory which lifts the entire experience.

As he proved with his debut, the British director is confident with female talent, and definitely has a knack of getting the most of them, which is especially the case with both Hathaway and his young star Mckenzie. And even token male Whigham, who is ever watchable, gives yet another solid performance.

And even though this is only his second feature, with an eight year gap between them, Oldroyd is proving himself to be a major talent in waiting – where only time will tell if his next feature include another name in its title - with this absorbing, atmospheric, slow-burning thriller.