"an interesting visual representation of living with epilepsy, built around a British family drama"

Electricity is an interesting visual representation of living with epilepsy, built around a British family drama.

Lily O’Connor has a severe form of temporal epilepsy. There is nothing she can do to stop it; time and time again the world goes black and she falls towards the ground, possessed with spasms as if lightning has struck her brain.

When her mother dies, she goes to London looking for her long-lost brother Mikey to give him his share of the inheritance. The ever-looming chronic condition accompanies her like a menacing parrot on her shoulder as she searches for answers to her family secrets.

I thought the family story was pretty bleak, sort of like a worn out TV drama running for a season too long, but Agyness Deyn does a stellar job in the leading role, and it’s the most striking representation of epilepsy that I’ve ever seen.

Lily’s epilepsy not only manifests itself in seizures and black-outs, she also gets hallucinations such as the sensation of having a bird coming out of her mouth. Equally as touching and disturbing to watch was her relationship with her anti-epileptic drugs. She relies on her pills and any change in prescription, even though deemed necessary by the doctors, is going to hijack her mind and is a frightening experience until she gets used to them. The scenes when she is negotiating with her doctor over her medication are painful to watch, her anxiety and desperation laid bare brilliantly by Agyness Deyn.

Electricity premiered at the BFI London Film Festival in October 2014. It gave a powerful impression on the festival goers and critics, but it’s not likely to be a box office success. It’s repeatedly disheartening to watch Lily fall helplessly on her face and there is no happy ending with sunsets or any magic wand solutions. But if you’re up for an independent-minded British film about a tough subject matter, I recommend it.