In 1561, following the death of her husband, 19-year-old Mary Stuart (Saoirse Ronan) defies pressure to re-marry and instead returns to Scotland to take up her rightful throne. To do so, however, she must first wrest the country from the control of her older cousin, Elizabeth I of England (Margot Robbie). As the two rivals fight for power, they find their place in history challenged by the masculine world around them, as court conspiracies, rebellion, and betrayal ensue.

A historical drama with a refreshingly feminist leaning, Mary Queen of Scots excels on the strength of its well-matched leads, in addition to its Oscar-nominated costume design and make up.

It all begins when Frances (Chloë Grace Moretz), who has recently moved to the Big Apple, finds a handbag on the subway and goes about reuniting the bag with its rightful owner. That owner turns out to be Greta (Isabelle Huppert), a lonely and seemingly lovely widow.

Frances has recently lost her mother, and Greta’s daughter is all the way in France, so the two become fast friends. But when Greta’s behaviour becomes increasingly obsessive, Frances finds she must do whatever it takes to put an end to the relationship before things spiral out of control.

While the twists and turns may be of the B-movie variety, Greta remains a suspenseful – if bonkers –psychological thriller thanks to its A-list pair of actresses.