In which Alice Lowe comes of age and reveals herself to be a
distinctive new voice in British cinema that should be embraced and encouraged.
Having apprenticed with Ben Wheatley, here Lowe writes,
stars in and for the first time directs. She is clearly from the school of
Wheatley: this is a jet black, gory revenge comedy with a shocking impetus at
its core – Lowe’s ‘heroine’ is heavily pregnant and is compelled to kill by her
unborn child. She directs with verve, aided by Ryan Eddleston’s camera
forcing its way into the action and Matteo Bini’s editing.
Revelation of the tragedy at the heart of the film is worked
seamlessly into the narrative, the visual image of that tragedy echoing and
reflecting in the story’s key metaphor.
Lowe’s Ruth is perhaps not that different to her Tina in
Wheatley’s Sightseers, that same doleful expression, that same sense of
resignation, but mated to a greater fury.
Men do not fare well in Lowe’s deliciously twisted script,
and some suffer much more than others. I shan’t spoil your viewing by revealing
their humiliations, at least one of which has not been seen in such detail on
film since the days of Video Nasties. This is not a film for those with weak
stomachs: you have been warned!
Score: 8/10
UK release date: tbc
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