Last of Us star Bella Ramsey’s queer, witchy horror is breaking gay hearts: ‘Pro at making me sad’
Bella Ramsey and Safia Oakley Green as Evelyn and Mary in Requiem.
Before winning hearts with her portrayal of Ellie in The Last of Us, Bella Ramsey was breaking them in the 2021 horror short, Requiem.
The sapphic historical horror is set in 1605 as witch trials and religious conservatism swamped parts of England.
It follows Ramsey’s character, Evelyn, as she attempts to evade the wrath of her father, Minister Gilbert (Simon Balcon), to be with her lover, Mary (Safia Oakley Green).
The film, directed by Em Gilberston, has just dropped on the ALTER YouTube channel and been immediately picked up by fans – old and new – who are raving about the beautiful portrayal of the star-crossed lovers.
Gilbertson told PinkNews they made Requiem “because it’s really important for all queer people that we don’t forget our history. We have to take lessons from the past to tackle the systemic prejudice still around us and fight for our future”.
They added that “the support the film has received has been incredible”.
The film’s heart-pounding terror is interwoven with tender moments of queer love, making for a gripping watch.
Although there is minimal dialogue, Ramsey, now 19, shows she is an acting powerhouse, embodying her Evelyn’s yearning as heartbreak and devastation surround her.
As one fan aptly put it on Twitter: “Bella Ramsey in Requiem just shattered my heart into a million pieces. Wow.”
“Just had my heart ripped out, stomped on, torn apart and smashed to pieces [by] the short film Requiem,” another wrote. “Holy s**t. Bella Ramsey is a pro at making me sad at this point.”
The 24-minute short shows the power of lesbian love against all the odds, and its poignant ending left many in tears.
“If there’s one thing Bella Ramsey knows how to do, it’s make my gay heart ache. I’m crying. Requiem was so amazing. It was really beautiful. Lesbian witches has to be my favourite genre,” one person wrote.
Requiem is doing the festival circuit, and will be arriving at the Oscar-qualifying 47th Cleveland International Film Festival at the end of March. You can watch it here.
While Ramsey continues to break hearts in 17th-century England, they are also bringing lesbian angst to the dystopian 21st century in hit series The Last of Us.
Episode seven, “Left Behind” showed a flashback of Ellie (Ramsey) and Riley (Storm Reid), who spend the day in an abandoned shopping centre in pandemic-ravaged America.
The pair’s friendship blossoms into something more over the course of the episode – but it ends in tragedy.
Season one of the hit show wrapped up on Sunday (12 March), along with a bonus episode which went behind the scenes.
Ramsey has already been confirmed for season two, which is set to show Ellie in a relationship with girlfriend Dina years after the devastating events of the season one finale.
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