Sightseers

Sightseers can be seen as the modern equivalent of the British cult movie Withnail and I, or perhaps as the sincere British antithesis of the fanboyishly false would-be rebellious American film God Bless America. In the first case, this new film brings forth another biting revelation that a trip out of the city is purely an illusion in which man is the barrier to man’s being one with nature. The individualism of each person is so bound to civilisational neuroses and frustrations that leaving the city cannot bring relief from those afflictions, as it can at most escalate them to the point of being destructive. Instead of melancholy arising from the end of the idealistic 1960s and the awakening in gloomy reality in Withnail and I, Sightseers offers an almost nihilistic picture of contemporary existence mired in absolute lack of a sense of time, when frustrations do not ensue from the loss of personal ideals, but from the inability to live up to the ideals of society and the roles foisted on us by pop culture. Escaping to the countryside fails because, even outside of the city, the protagonists find personifications of exactly what they are running away from and they cannot avoid projecting their anxieties onto those around them. The result is only repeatedly experienced feelings of anger, envy and disappointment. Killing is thus not an expression of rebellion, but rather of the characters’ weakness and helplessness. In this respect, Sightseers presents a refreshing antithesis of the communally fake God Bless America. Whereas that film’s would-be rebellious pamphlet revels in its blindingly boastful elitism, Sightseers clearly reveals its protagonists to be pathologically asocial and autistic people who take out their frustration with themselves on those around them. ___ Incidentally, though the film exhibits some of the same elements of the creative signature and style of Ben Wheatley’s previous films, it’s primarily the project of co-screenwriters and lead actors Steve Oram and Alice Lowe, who fleshed out two characters from their collaborative stand-up sketches into feature-length form and bring in Wheatley only as a stylistic kindred spirit based on the basis of his debut film, Down Terrace. (04/27/2013)

A young couple, still relatively young, sets off on a road trip across Britain with a caravan and unclear intentions. She is quite moody, he is peculiar. They are definitely not the type of characters you would fall in love with at first sight. Nevertheless, they somehow get under your skin. It is because of the strange situations that go to the point of absurdity, the selection of songs, and also the intense acting performances, that's the right word. If you like dark humor, you might really like this. Otherwise, probably best to stay away. (11/13/2013)

Wheatly confirms he’s a director worth following. I liked Sightseers better than Kill List, it’s certainly a more gratifying film. It has beautiful visuals, black humour and good and originally used songs. And yet, it still hasn’t been very well received. For me it’s a seven, but I’m rounding up this time for that beautifully cynical ending. But mainly because it’s a one-star better experience than Kill List. (04/03/2013)