So,
I watched three Scottish films the other day.
Despite
being there on my ‘to watch’ list, I hadn’t really planned doing this ahead of
time, so it turned out to be an interesting afternoon.
Although quite
different, all three films were all enjoyable in their own way and featured
some interesting coincidences: two instances of Martin Compston playing a hard
man (but let’s face it face it, when does he not), two instances of Kate Dickie
getting nude (then again when does she not), two instances of Darude’s
‘Sandstorm’ (uh, really?), and all 3 films featuring full frontal male nudity
(okay, this is getting strange now…).
So
grab an Irn-Bru and some shortbread an’
let’s dife reit in! (sorry.)
First
up we have Andrea Arnold’s Red Road (2006), about a CCTV
operator Jackie (Kate Dickie), who starts to spy on a man from her past (Tony
Curran) who has recently resurfaced on the notoriously rough Red Road estate in
Glasgow. Who he is to her and why she becomes obsessed with him is gradually
revealed as the film goes on, leading to many a tense moment.
Aside
from the wonderfully naturalistic performances from all involved, the film
excels in two areas. The first is the creepily effective sense of voyeurism felt
as we observe a lot of CCTV footage, often from Jackie’s point of view. Glipses
of the silent everyday minutiae of people going about their daily lives - as
well as following the activities of certain people she has grown fond of
watching: the man with the sick dog and the cleaning lady suffering unrequited
love, for example. There are so many stories just barely hinted at as we find
ourselves peering down from an eye in the sky.
The
other interesting aspect of the film for me was the air of mystery that hangs
over the whole thing. You think the story is going one way, but then it
unexpectedly goes another. Character motivations and actions are not always
what they seem and shouldn't be judged by first appearances, both by we the
viewers, but also for the other characters in the film. Information is
gradually revealed as the story unfolds, shedding new light on our
preconceptions. Oh, and keep an eye out for animal symbolism as further hints
to the current portrayal of the characters.
The
depiction of the Red Road estate is suitably grim and depressing, and the
themes of loss and obsession that hang heavily over the whole affair may not be
appealling to some (there is one particularly heart-wrenching scene involving
baby clothes), but it’s worth watching once, although it may be less impactful
on repeat viewings.
The
second film watched was the recent adaptation of Irvine Welsh’s novel Filth
(2013), which was a pretty wild ride all the way through. Drinking, drug abuse,
sex, violence, extortion, corruption – and that's just what the policeman protagonist
gets up to! James McAvoy gamely embodies the ambitious yet wholly out of
control detective Bruce Robertson in possibly his best role yet.
There’s
a darkly humorous streak running all the way through (not to mention many a
shocking moment), which makes it all the more effective once the tone shifts
into much more serious territory as the walls start to crumble all around Robertson.
There’s a great ensemble cast (Jamie Bell does a decent Scottish accent and
Eddie Marsan is on fine form once again) and the ‘mystery’ element surrounding
Robertson is decent despite being a tad obviously telegraphed from the
beginning. Some of the more psychedelic elements ended up being overused (the
squealing jump scares involving prosthetics seemed unnecessary and Jim
Broadbent’s giant foreheaded Shrink says ‘Yeeees’ one too many times can become
grating) but on the whole it’s an engaging look at one man’s decent into
madness.
The
most interesting aspect for me was how the film very much starts from
Robertson’s point of view (and how he perceives himself to be), but gradually
shifts towards showing us how things really are. All in all, it’s worth seeing
this on the strength of McAvoy’s performance alone.
The
final film in this triple bill is the arty sci-fi flick Under the Skin (2013),
which stars Scarlett Johansson as an alien who drives around Scotland in a
white van seducing men in order to kidnap them. It sounds ridiculous - and it
kind of is. The delivery though is slow, steady and at times very minimalist.
Some
of random people she encounters whilst driving around were actually real
members of the public (secretly filmed via hidden camera), which leads to some
authentic moments, despite the fact that she is, you know, a famous Hollywood film star! I wonder how many times people
recognized her and they had to scrap the footage? Anyhow, the film is weirdly
understated – some may get feel bored quickly at the occasionally ponderous
scenes of Scarjo staring blankly at something, but the music is excellently
creepy and the once again if you take into account that it’s all an alien’s
curious view of human life, the strangeness of it all makes sense.
The
strongest parts are the post abduction sequences, which are dreamlike and
hypnotic, showing the kidnapped males gradually walking forward oblivious into
a black liquid. The final sequence is also impressive, but there is not enough
in between these moments to be able to recommend this to absolutely everyone.
Oh, and Scarlett Johansson gets naked in this. Hey wait? Where are you going?
So
that was my Scottish Triple Bill. I would say they are all weird and wonderful
in their own ways whilst also sharing some striking similarities. As of which
one I would recommend – it depends what you are in the mood for. The most
mainstream would be Filth, a more
gritty independent film would be Red
Road, and for a more esoteric and dreamlike experience choose Under The Skin.
Sae tak’ yer pick mah hen laddies an’
lassies! Ok, I’ll stop now…
31st September
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