It began with one dragon in a postcard-sized painting auctioned in 1966 for £220,000. Newlyweds Jane and Oliver Impey use the proceeds to purchase crumbling Cumnor Place in Oxfordshire, which they carefully restore over the years while growing their young family. The house—surrounded by stone walls, a lawn of fairy rings, and a pond made seemingly of dragon’s blood—and its rooms of animal bones, jarred reptiles, and scores of dragons, feels both magical and frightening to the Impey children, Edward, Oliver, Matthew, and Harriet. Director Suzanne Raes’s visually sumptuous film finds the foursome back at Cumnor to clear the dusty attics, desks, and cupboards as they prepare the house for sale. Their deceased parents’ presence looms large, coaxing a cascade of layered memories from each sibling. Raes’s emotionally resonant score and lush sound design thoughtfully accentuate the film, as pristine home movies, and the objects themselves, illustrate their reflections. A welcome catharsis blooms as they prepare to let go.
