The Returned (They Came Back) DVD Review

Rating:15
DVD Release Date:
22nd July 2013 (UK)
Director:
Robin Campillo
Cast:
Géraldine Pailhas, Jonathan Zaccaï, Frédéric Pierrot
Buy The Returned (2004):[DVD]
A disappointing watch for anyone who’s got too caught up in the word zombie, Robin Campillo’s 2004 film The Returned is a haunting original tale of undead awakening. Now a major series with the same title, The Returned has obviously addressed a void in the zombie market and caught people’s imaginations, Campillo’s eye for political commentary is as sharp as Romero’s but undoubtedly less entertaining to watch. Here you will find no flesh eating denizens of grave, no Savini, Berger/Nicotero effects:  this is a film startling in its total lack of similarity to any other feature of the genre.

You can see why it arguably works better in serial format; thousands of the recently deceased return to life and are registered, accounted for, then let back to their families, jobs, etc. Campillo’s focus here is less inclined towards the chaotic Armageddon factor and more towards the quiet sombre realisation of what is happening, his script picks its way through a realistic portrayal of the bureaucracy involved, the systems of testing, the reactions of loved ones, and ultimately the effects these have on a small French town. A series would be better equipped to explore the effects on individual people and to build a bigger sense of the event; Campillo’s feature unfortunately lacks focus and scale. We don’t follow a single character well enough to feel pulled into the moment, and there’s no attempt to show the global scale of the incident.

It takes a while for anyone to ask the questions that seem to jump to mind first, but even when the opportunity pops up, it comes from a child who is quickly brushed aside. It is in this manner Campillo deals with most of the important events of The Returned, quickly serving moments of intrigue then whisking them off with no further development, leaving the viewer to put the message together in their own good time. Perhaps the film and its creator are to be lauded for a fearless disregard of the anticipated reactions: the how’s, why’s, and what’s.

The dream-like quality of the film, the slow heartfelt, dizzy feel of the look and pace, evolve not just through the docile meanderings of the dead, but by that very elusive manner of story-telling you could easily get frustrated with. No matter how you feel it’s the perfect aesthetic for a zombie film sans gruesome flesh.

By no means is a zombie film in the traditional manner, The Returned a far more emotional rendering of that tired old trope, an intriguing look at the reality behind an event such as this. However, it is difficult to enjoy a film so laconic in its method, so dull and heart-wrenching that- at its core-  it is intrinsically boring.

★★☆☆☆

Scott Clark

In The House (Dans La Maison) DVD Review

Rating: 15
DVD Release Date:
22nd July 2013 (UK)
Director:
François Ozon
Cast:
Fabrice Luchini, Ernst Umhauer, Kristin Scott Thomas
Buy: [Blu-ray] [DVD]
A talented pupil and a frustrated teacher. A tale as old as time and a mainstay of cinema ever since Robin Williams received a table striding declaration of support in Dead Poet’s Society. Francois Ozon’s In The House uses this well worn template to blur the lines between fantasy and reality, bringing an uneasy dynamic to the classroom drama.

Having scored his biggest UK hit to date last time out with gender role comedy Potiche, Ozon’s follow-up eschews the laughs in favour of a return to the more ambiguous tone found in his earlier works. It’s also as much a paean to the power of our imagination as it is a tale of mentor and student.

Fabrice Luchini shakes off the misogynous mindset instilled in his role of Catherine Denevue’s husband in Potiche to play literature teacher Mr Germain, returning to school for another year of uninspiring works from unenthused students. Or so it is until a routine ‘how I spent my weekend’ assignment unearths a rare nugget of promise among his apathetic class. While the majority of hand-ins recount the mundane adolescence of video games, pizza’s and wasted Sunday’s, one student, Claude (a suitably creepy Ernst Umhauer), bucks the trend by regaling a somewhat sinister account of voyeurism. Under the premise of maths tutorage, Claude talks his way into the home of fellow classmate Rapha, observing and rather disparagingly depicting the model middle-class life on show. Instantly catching the literary eye of Germain, Claude takes his attention for encouragement, returning time and again to this suburban ideal to portray the life behind those doors, in the house.

The comfortably domestic lives of Germain and wife Jeane (Kristen Scott-Thomas) are given a new distraction, evenings now spent ingesting and dissecting the latest work from the star pupil. While Germain, slightly in awe of his potential-laden student, somewhat neglects his teacher duties in overlooking the increasingly concerning tone of the passages, it is left to () to point out the glaring dangers of such obsessive voyeurism. Indeed it is she who at times understands the works on a far greater level than her book-loving husband.

Taking Claude under his wing, Germain gives Ozon the chance to go conduct a literature 101 class. Structures, rules and questions of authorship are all mulled over. This is literature with a capital L, to be discussed, debated and considered. It’s also where Ozon seems to be having most fun. Placing us within Claude’s writing as well as the world outside, Ozon toys with our (and Germain’s) perception of what is real what is fiction and what is pure teenage fantasy. It’s a theme he embellishes with a lightweight subplot for Scott-Thomas’s art curator. Her under threat gallery has it’s fate in the hands of two ill-informed and unappreciative identical twins with the varying works that pass through offering Ozon another chance to touch upon further themes of authorship and creative ownership.

It’s a film that encourages us to become the voyeurs, the ending an invitation to mimic the leads – peeking behind the curtain and imagining the lives being carried out. In these hands people watching takes on a whole new mindset, transcending into an art form from which great works can appear. It’s a notion that outshines the film itself, ultimately In The House never quite engrosses as much as one of the stories from the pen of it’s young lead.

★★★☆☆

Matthew Walsh

FrightFest and Horror Channel announce nine world premieres for short film programme

FrightFest in association with Horror Channel, will be screening nine specially selected short films, all World Premieres, at this year’s August event at the Empire Cinema, Leicester Sq. From James Moran’s sickly slick serial killer tale and Dominic Brunt’s ghastly vision of war time Hell, to Will Gilbey’s hard-boiled noir cop thriller and Mike Mort’s even harder puppet cop hero Chuck Steel, the line-up represents a rich tapestry of talent, with casts that include Hannah Tointon, Neil Maskell, Ed Speleers, Alfie Allen & Jack Gordon.

Paul McEvoy, Co-director of FrightFest &Horror Channel programme co-ordinater said today: “This year’s brilliant and insane mix of shorts includes outstanding World Premieres from some FrightFest favourites and some exciting new cinematic blood. Behold and enjoy!”

MAIN SCREEN
Friday August 23rd

16:15 CRAZY FOR YOU (World Premiere)
Director: James Moran. Cast: Arthur Darvill, Hannah Tointon. UK. 2013. 10 mins
It's difficult to find love when you're a serial killer - when Charlie meets the girl of his dreams, he has to keep that slight flaw a secret from her. Will true love win the day? Or will she become another of his unwitting victims?

Saturday August 24th

13:15 TURNCOAT (World Premiere)
Director: Will Gilbey. Cast: Neil Maskell, Stephen McCole, Ed Speleers. UK. 2013. 14min
Two cops break into a criminal's home, drag him out of bed and start conducting an illegal search of the premises. Cuffed to a chair, and seemingly helpless, the criminal's only chance is to play the two cops off against each other.

20:55 CHUCK STEEL: RAGING BALLS OF STEEL JUSTICE (World Premiere)
Written, directed and voiced by Mike Mort. UK 2013 13min
It’s 1986, and maverick cop Chuck Steel has his work cut out when the city’s most influential banker is kidnapped by a group of escaped convicts. With the aid of his sex obsessed robot partner, Chuck must fight a desperate battle against overwhelming odds to save the hostage.

Monday August 26th

15.35 THE BODY (World Premiere)
Director: Paul Davis. Cast: Alfie Allen, Hannah Tointon, Christian Brassington, Jack Gordon. UK. 2013. 18min
The tale of a murderer who uses the cover of Halloween night to causally transport his latest victim from the scene of the crime to his final resting place.


DISCOVERY SCREEN 1
Friday August 23rd

18:00 IF I HAD A HEART (World Premiere)
Director’s The Halsall Brothers. Cast: Min-Joong Kim UK. 2013. 12 min
A neon-noir set in the underbelly of Seoul. Sam IL is a street fighter who was abandoned at birth by his Mother in a coin locker. His life has been one of extreme violence and isolation.


Saturday August 24th

15:15 SHELL SHOCKED (World Premiere)
Director: Dominic Brunt. Cast: Geoffrey Newland, Anthony Streeter UK. 2013. 12 min
Two soldiers from opposing sides seek temporary salvation from the battle field. A tense, life or death stand off at gun point ensues with a growing realisation...they were safer where they were...

18:15 SAMUEL AND EMILY VS. THE WORLD (World Premiere)
Director: Nick Gillespie Cast: Steve Garry, Phoebe Jones & Alex Rose March. UK. 2013. 9 min
An eerie and gruesome tale about a couple who have found a new way to survive the zombie apocalypse.

Sunday August 25th

12:50 THE GUEST (World Premiere)
Director: Jovanka Vuckovic Cast: Tara Elliot, Jordan Gray & Isabella Vuckovic Canada 2013. 4 min
A man must face his personal demons as a consequence of a mysterious bargain he has made.

15:15 BREATHE (World Premiere)
Directed by Toby Meakins Cast: Jack North, Josef Altin & Orion Ben. UK. 2013. 5 min
A ghost story about a girl who only appears when you hold your breath.


DISCOVERY SCREEN 2 (Repeat showings)

FRIDAY AUG 23
15:15 SAMUEL AND EMILY VS. THE WORLD

SATURDAY AUG 24

12:50 THE GUEST

15:30 BREATHE

SUNDAY AUG 25

10:25 IF I HAD A HEART

MONDAY AUG 26

16:00 SHELL SHOCKED

TV: Sky 319 / Virgin 149 / Freesat 138
www.horrorchannel.co.uk | twitter.com/horror_channel

Film4 FrightFest 2013 runs from Thurs 22 August to Monday 26 August at the Empire Cinema, Leicester Square.

Tickets for individual films go on sale from 27th July. Bookings: 08 714 714 714 or www.empirecinemas.co.uk

The ABC's of Death DVD Review

Rating: 18
Home Release Date (UK):
22nd July 2013
Director:
Adam Wingard, Ti West, Ben Wheatey
Cast:
Erik Aude, Iván González, Lee Hardcastle, Ingrid Bolsø Berdal
Buy:[Blu-ray], [DVD]
The ABC’s of Death is probably one of the most ambitious horror spectacles ever conceived: 25 letters of the alphabet, 25 directors from all over the world, and total free reign on the choice of project other than sticking to your letter. Obviously with something this big, spanning numerous countries and cultures, the outcome was always going to be eclectic and, most of all, utterly bizarre.

Directors like Jason Eisener (Hobo with a Shotgun), Ben Wheatley (Kill List), and Ti West (House of The Devil) answer the call to add their own short vision of horror, but most important perhaps is that the ABC’s consist of new and upcoming talent. Adam Wingard and Ti West are of course no strangers to anthology horror having been responsible for two segments of last year’s VHS, however while Wingard’s humorous Q is for Quack steps out of the screen to offer a break from excessive gore and disturbia, West’s short M is for Miscarriage is a dull and disappointing attempt from an accomplished new name in horror. This perhaps best encapsulates the spirit of the project, the ABC’s is not a compendium of horror shorts, it’s an exploration of the limits and potential contents of horror. Some of the films are wonderful and leave us wanting more than the little peak we’ve had, whilst others can’t finish quick enough.

One of the most endearing qualities of the ABC’s is the vast array of styles and tones which combine to make it a true variety performance. Marcel Sarmiento’s D is for Dogfight channels Guy Ritchie-esque grit whilst boasting one of the roundest and most accomplished stories. Timo Tjahjanto’s L is for Libido is hands-down the most disturbing of the films achieving genuinely sickening reaction and proving to be the most troubling to watch. In terms of visual impact Bruno Forzani and Helene Cattet’s O is for Orgasm wins top prize, addressing the death/sex relationship in the most experimental, beautiful, and accomplished entry to the film. The ABC’s is far from perfect viewing though,  many of the films dwindle into obscurity or punch a little too high, or sometimes even achieve a level of abrasion that surpasses discomfort and goes straight to irritating. F is for Fart and Z is for Zetsumetsu, two of the Japanese entries, are so utterly bonkers and ridiculously anti-narrative that they become tiresome quickly. I could go through the whole lot but it would ruin some wonderful/awful surprises since watching the ABC’s totally blind is perhaps the best way, especially when the titles are often the punch lines to elaborate and unsettling tales.

Horror gets a bad rap as a dead-end genre with little left to say except scream, stab, and torture; there are no more lines to cross, or envelopes to push. Yet here we find a truly interesting cross-section of modern horror from across the globe addressing a varied selection of subjects. The ABC’s of Death are far from perfect, the bad films tend to be the ones that blatantly go for the shock factor, whilst the really bad are the ones that inspire no reaction what so ever. Thankfully there’s not too many of those. Somewhere in there are the makings of something great: many of the entries are unsettling, some are hilarious, others are simply batshit bonkers insane. Key to this film are the constant feelings that things are being examined, mulled over, situations are being addressed whilst the viewer tries to figure out what the hell is going on. The envelope has indeed been pushed.

★★★★☆

Scott Clark

Runaway Train Blu-Ray Review

Rating:
15
BD Release Date (UK):
22nd July 2013
Director:
Andrey Konchalovskiy
Cast:
Jon Voight, Eric Roberts, Rebecca De Mornay
Buy: [Blu-ray]

Arrow Video has given Runaway Train a loving blu-ray release stacked full of extras including interviews with most of the main cast like Jon Voight and Eric Roberts. The film is directed by Andrei Konchalovsky who is a Russian director who has worked both in Hollywood and Russia since the 60s. Runaway Train is probably his most well known film to date, he is also known for the more recent House of Fools and the recent notorious flop The Nutcracker in 3D.

Runaway Train is about Oscar "Manny" Manheim (Jon Voight) who is a notorious convict at a prison in Alaska. Manny has been in cell for 3 years (after the doors have been welded shut) after many escape attempts. A Court order makes his nemesis the associate warden to let him out back into the general population. He naturally starts to plan his next escape.

Buck (Eric Roberts) is another convict of the prison. He is naïve southern boy who has been convicted by statutory rape (sex with a underage person). He is played deliberately naïve by Eric Roberts because he wanted to make the character more sympathetic. He is recruited by Manny to help him escape because he works in the laundry room and has access to places most prisoners don’t.

They eventually escape though a sewer. They fall into a river and eventually get to a train yard and jump onto a train but don’t realise till it’s too late it’s a “runaway train”. The train is speeding along the tracks at a rapid speed and they may have company on the train and also can meet their maker any minute.

The film is not a masterpiece but any stretch of the imagination but it’s a very solid Sunday afternoon boy’s own adventure sort of film. It has a fun scenery chewing performance by Jon Voight, who was even nominated for a oscar for best actor, must have been a slow year. Eric Roberts (a normally very underrated actor) gives a very annoying performance somewhat reminiscent of portrayals of Lenny in adaptations of Of Mice and Men. He was mind boggling nominated for an oscar for his performance. It came out the same year as the greatest film ever made Brazil which boosts some great supporting performances but at last got no nominations for acting.

It’s got a slightly gritty edge, which is probably down to Edward Bunker’s involvement on the screenplay. He was a real-life convict who wrote Animal Factory and the book the great Dustin Hoffman film Straight Time was based on. He is also known as Mr. Blue in Reservoir Dogs. It was the debut of another convict turned actor Danny Trejo.

Runaway Train has an interesting backstory. It was originally meant to be Akira Kurosawa’s first colour film but due to problems with American backers it was shelved. The interesting thing is you could easy see Toshiro Mifune in the Manny role. It would have been a better film if Kurosawa did but it’s certainly worth checking out sometime.

★★★½☆

Ian Schultz

EIFF 2013 - For Those in Peril Review

Rating: N/C
Review Date (EIFF):
28th June 2013
Director:
Paul Wright
Cast:
Kate Dickie, Michael Smiley, George MacKay

British cinema is great at taking quaint environments and turning them into Hell. We also have a penchant for misery and wasted lives, both of which you’ll find abundantly in Paul Wright’s impressive feature debut For Those in Peril, a keyhole into the social mechanics of a small fishing community in Scotland.

After a tragic accident takes the lives of five young fishermen, Aaron (George MacKay), the sole survivor of the tragedy which also claimed his older brother, is left in a steadily growing state of social detachment as the town around focuses their grief on him.  Mackay shines as a social outcast, a loner before the tragedy and even more so after with little to live for in a town that sees survivors as a constant burning reminder of tragedy. Wright’s choice to include sound snippets of news coverage/interviews with locals helps explore the small town mentality and collective hatred for Aaron, who’s only crime is retaining a childish mind in a place that demands manhood sooner as opposed to later. As the film goes on and Aaron’s actions become slightly more elusive in the face of hatred, the audience starts to see that in treating someone like a monster, especially someone with serious trauma, you can end up making them one. Kate Dickie lends her talents as Aaron’s troubled mother, single-handedly providing a sort of normality bar with which to compare the rest of the town to, she’s also where most of the film’s heart comes from, hers being possibly the most heart-breaking story of all. The relationship between Dickie and Mackay is frankly one of the most impressive pairings in ages.

Aaron’s obsession with a fairy tale around a monster in the sea becomes more vivid as the film progresses, just as the town’s contempt for him does. Wright punctuates an otherwise muted cinematography with moments of vivid colour and crushing darkness to better convey the collapse of Aaron’s reality: as his guilt flares so does his anger at the “monster” and his alienation from family and friends comes full circle so that he descends into a sort of childish dream.

There’s a very honest quality to Wright’s camera and the performances of his stars, nothing out-there, nothing melodramatic, just a well worked story of people and their relationship to the world around them.  At some points the film can maintain a palate too drab and spend too much time following Aaron’s isolated wanderings to the point of angst, but by the end Wright proves he has the vision to deliver an emotionally charged whopper of a finale that allows this quant wee Scottish sea-side affair to rest on more breath-taking grounds.

Not just a run of the mill sombre British piece about rural environments, For Those in Peril is a heart-wrenching narrative of guilt and redemption with a daring final direction and stand-out performances from two of Scotland’s finest.

★★★★☆

Scott Clark

EIFF 2013 - Frankenstein's Army Review

Rating:
15
Release Date(UK):
28 June 2013 (EIFF)
24 August 2013 (Frightfest)
30 September 2013 (DVD)
Director:
Richard Raaphorst
Cast:
Karel Roden, Joshua Sasse, Robert Gwilym
Buy: [DVD]
Over the past few years there’s been a real peak in the impact of fan-boy fantasy on cinema, especially horror. We’ve seen some truly nutty visions being realised on the big screen and, for better or worse, that trend shows no signs of stopping. The recent sub-genre of Nazi zombie films is creatively tackled in first time feature director Richard Raaphorst’s endearingly titled, handheld camera shot, B-movie extraordinaire Frankenstein’s Army.

How, may you ask, is a film set during WW2 shot on hand-held camera? By the genius of a specially selected film student chosen to tag along with a Russian platoon to film some propaganda. This surmises the bonkers logic to most of Frankenstein’s Army. A good section of the film is spent getting to understand the characters and what the Russian involvement in the war was and before we get anywhere near the fateful dwelling of Baron Frankenstein there’s a breadcrumb trail of bizarre carcases to herald that the good doctor has extended his research to animalistic steampunk zombie monstrosities.

There’s a charming sort of referential stupidity involved in how unperturbed most of the Russians seem about finding these creatures. But that’s a key part of the film; it doesn’t take itself too seriously and by doing that makes itself far more effective as a horror film. By slotting the ridiculous alongside the drab hopelessness of the incredible sets and creatures, there’s room for some genuinely horrible moments of tense action and fear. Like the end of Blair Witch meets Silent Hill via Stuart Gordon. Camera handling dwindles sometimes during panic driven moments of fight and flight to unfortunately leave some sections of film messy and nonsensical, which is a shame when such care has been taken to make the visuals so striking.

Even if the film is operating on a budget it appears not to be too hindered, sets have been carefully selected and then dressed up to fit the period and aesthetic, creatures have been formed with a mind to dodging the traditional concept of zombie. This time, Frankenstein’s monsters are exactly the kind of industrial horrors you’d expect from a post WW1 corpse tinker: hulking metal and robotics, grey flesh and black leather, ridiculous appendages for the decimation of allied forces. And Karel Roden’s (Hellboy, Rocknrolla) fantastic turn as a madcap even more oblivious Dr. Frankenstein is nothing short of a hoot to watch.

Everything about this film is pretty endearing.  Once you pull yourself past the student project feel and settle into its carnival of horrors feel, you start to enjoy it for what it is; a Nazi-zombie flick. There’s no pretence here, no whimsical story, just a good old-fashioned monster film with some well-deserved scares, a great effects and set-design department and above all a good eye for humour. Frankenstein’s Army is cult classic material.

★★★★☆

Scott Clark

The Seasoning House DVD Review

Rating: 18
DVD Release Date (UK):
12th August 2013
Director:
Paul Hyett
Cast:
Sean Pertwee, Rosie Day, Kevin Howarth
Buy:[DVD]/ [Blu-ray]
Set in the War-torn Balkans in the mid 90’s The Seasoning House follows deaf mute Angel played by Rosie Day as she is torn from her home and family to work in a brothel where she must prepare the girls for customers and then clean them up after. She spends the rest of her time moving between the walls and the crawlspaces of the house observing her kidnappers. After the brutal rape and murder of her only confident she tries to escape and must fight off the brothel owner and the soldiers who butchered her family.

The first thing I have to say about this film is this. Sean Pertwee cannot do a Balkan accent. This is a sad fact and it by no means makes him a bad actor in fact I consider him one of Britain’s great actors. But his lack of ability to move away from his own gravelly English accent is evident in The Seasoning House where he stands out a little from all the other characters whose Balkan accents are much better than his. Another thing is that it seems to take forever for anything to happen in the story. We spend almost 40 minutes covering the main character, Angel’s, early life and how she came into her predicament where it could have easily be done in almost half the time. The beginning does little to develop her character and is really only there to go into great detail about the way the brothel is run.

These are pretty much the only complaints I have about Paul Hyett’s The Seasoning House. It is a rape revenge thriller that manages to be original in genre that has been rather formulaic for many years.

Let’s look at the actors. First off Sean Pertwee who, as I have already said, cannot maintain an accent that is not his own but is a terrifying villain in the role of Goran. He seems to be on the cusp of insanity at all times and worse still has a troop of killers and psychopaths at his command. His single minded pursuit of Angel in the second half of the film makes him a terrifying antagonist. Viktor is played by Kevin Howarth who portrays the dual role of ruthless pimp and obsessive lover of Angel and how these parts of his life come into conflict when Angel becomes the target of Goran’s soldiers. We see him torn as he tries to protect Angel and his own business from Goran’s insanity. Finally Rosie Day as Angel. Playing a deaf mute cannot be easy especially in a physically demanding role such as this. Angel is chased through walls, woods and factories getting beaten, shot at, stabbed and at one point strangled with a belt. But Day manages to deliver a fantastic performance despite all of this.

And that leads me to the violence. It is brutal and does not shy away from it but nor does it glorify it. The fight scenes are natural and do not look choreographed which gives a sense of panic and terror when they take place. Angel does not become a gun totting karate expert and instead fights in a frenzied fashion flaying about with knives, bricks and in one case an ornamental pig (don’t ask just watch it). Hyett’s reliance upon practical effects over rather than excessive use of CGI makes the violence more gut wrenching especially in some of the more brutal scenes.

Overall the film is fantastic and is suitable for anyone who is a fan of the rape revenge genre or anyone who likes original action films.

★★★★☆

Adam Cook

The Great Rock'N' Roll Swindle Scottish Style, UK Trailer For The Great Hip Hop Hoax

Dubbed 'The Imposter of music docs,' the film tells the real life story about how - back in 2003/4, Californian hip-hop duo 'Silibil N'Brains' secured a record deal and were set to be massive – however, what no-one really knew was that they were actually a pair of students from Dundee, Scotland, with fake American accents and made up identities.

The Great Hip Hop Hoax was one of the surprise hit film's of last month's Edinburgh Film Festival, it also received some great feedback SxSw and now it's ready for it's cinema/VOD release this September.To promote the film's release Vertigo Films have sent us over the film's UK trailer....



When it comes to mockumentary films the pedastool has been set high with the classic This Is Spinal Tap there's been no one who came close to matching or bettering that film. The Great Hip Hop Hoax might be that film to at least match proving if you want that dream, you'll do anything to succeed and 6th September you'll get that chance to see if the 2 boys from Dundee, the rapping Proclaimers will become the cities most famous sons after Desperate Dan.

The Great Hip Hop Hoax stars Gavin Bain and Billy Boyd.

Everyone's Going to Die EIFF Review

Rating: 15
Release Date:
26th June 2013(EIFF)
Director:
Jones
Cast:
Nora Tschirner, Rob Knighton, Kellie Shirley
Melanie (Nora Tschirner) is a young woman living out a dull existence in an English seaside town, her life crawls along until she meets Ray (Rob Knighton in his second feature performance), a recently divorced gangster-type back in town for one last job. Without a doubt the most charming and impressive feature to debut at EIFF this year, one of those films that comes along once in a blue moon and manages to hold its own amongst the vast array of features fighting for the spotlight. It sounds like a screwball gangster flick with a hint of Lost in Translation, which it could be billed as, but you’d be missing the point. Even though it flaunts moments of comedy and does indeed slip in a gangster undertone, it’s so much more.

                Directed by the collective Jones, Everyone’s Going to Die takes a tried and tested formula for British sob-stories and goes back to basics, narratively speaking it’s a simple enough film; Ray and Melanie potter about exploring the tedium of their lives and getting up to mischief. There’s a somber mood clinging to most of the film that is time and time again shattered with Coen brother-style cock-ups or heart-warming scenes between the film’s spellbinding central performances.

                 The opening scenes hark at Less Than Zero, a ruined house the morning after a party shot with virtually no sound in a drab palette of greys, Melanie wandering the halls dressed as Chaplin cutting a, surely iconic, silhouette. Ray is forced into black suit and tie after his enraged wife vandalises the rest of his clothes and turfs him out, forcing the gangster into a dangerously stereotypical but hilariously referential costume.  Ray goes to meet his recently deceased estranged brother‘s family only to find his brother may have reincarnated into a cat. The humour here is right on the mark, the zaniness of the script is one of its strongest features ensuring it doesn’t fade into the background as another exercise in loneliness.  There’s nothing superficial about Everyone’s Going to Die, everything has substance to it.

                The key to the whole show is the relationship between Tschirner and Knighton. Genuine care and love for the characters is inspired through a damaged but reserved performance on both counts. Both are trapped at a still point, a dead end from which they really believe there’s no escaping. The boredom of dead-end lives never transfers to the viewer though, instead the narrative throws the odd couple into bizarre waters; job changes, a reincarnated brother, a wiccan family, the hotel TV stuck on Gay chat lines, the little ridiculous details keep the two ultimately grounded characters on their toes. No matter how ridiculous the situation, Jones put the scene across in such a deadpan manner, the slightest ticks on Ray’s face are all you need to pick up on some of the driest humour put to film recently.

                If one film deserves your attention this year it should be this one. It’s a heart-warming, often hilarious, sometimes heart-breaking tale of loneliness and the human need for companionship. It’s a love film sans love and a gangster film without gangsters. A powerhouse set of performances from the magnificent Nora Tschirner and Rob Knighton ensures the film is never dull or misfired and as for Jones, the stunning look of the film and the genius of the script ensures they are a talent to keep your eye out for.

A gem of a film; bittersweet, concise, thought-provoking, and above all entirely captivating, Everyone’s Going to Die is one of the most impressive British films going about just now.

★★★★★

Scott Clark