Sightseers (2012)

We all remember Jackanory, don't we? Don't we? I get the horrible feeling that recent revival notwithstanding, it's one of those things that died out decades ago and thus marks me out as an old person. Oh, and a British person; there's probably any number of people in other countries who don't remember it and plenty of them probably don't even have TV sets, or didn't at the time. Heck, I don't really remember it myself, I mostly just remember it was a thing. So yeah, a small minority of us remember Jackanory. 

Anyhow, for those who don't, the concept isn't hard to grasp: it features a person sitting in a chair reading a story, with rudimentary live action or animated segments as illustrations. Nice TV for kids, and possibly even for harrassed parents. Soothing.

When, therefore, I heard that UK TV channel Dave was introducing something similar aimed at adults and calling it Crackanory, yeah, I had to give it a go. Was I impressed? Not particularly. The stories (all black comedies) are mostly a bit obvious, and the presenters are almost invariably a lot self-satisfied. Still, I continue to watch, because, well, it's sort of soothing.

I was catching up on Crackanory yesterday when I noticed that one of the live action sections starred Steve Oram and Alice Lowe. Awesome! I thought, They were both in Sightseers! ... ... ...Why on earth haven't I written about Sightseers?

Luckily, it's not too late.

Sightseers is a deliciously dark little comedy directed by Ben Wheatley - he's done Kill List and A Field In England, both of which you also probably haven't seen (don't worry, neither have I). It's written by its two stars, the aforementioned Oram and Lowe, although I believe there was also a heavy improvisational element. It tells the story of Tina and Chris, a couple of societal misfits taking their first holiday together in a mobile caravan in the north of England. Are the consequences hilarious? For the viewer, maybe, but not necessarily for the people they meet on their travels.

The good

In theory, I love the British film scene - it's fresh, it's ours and it provides a bunch of interesting alternatives to the immaculately-buffed turds produced by the Hollywood blockbuster machine. In practice, though? Experience shows that the ratio of hits to misses is about the same. For every hidden gem I manage to locate, I land up sitting through a bunch of faux-gritty crime dramas and self-consciously quirky sci-fi that makes me long for the kind of budget that doesn't even have to run to decent effects, just the services of a proper scriptwriter.

Luckily, Sightseers is one of the gems. A blood-slicked, petty little gem, maybe, but that's half the fun of it. It's a thoroughly bleak little piece without an ounce of respect for anybody, especially not our two protagonists. But then, life's never shown much respect to Chris or Tina either, which is why he's grown intolerant of even the smallest of life's irritations and her mind is altogether too open to any sort of new experience. She offers him unquestioning adoration and he offers her guidance, at least at first - it's the gradual shift in their roles that makes this film such an utter joy.

Oram and Lowe are both standups, so it's probably not surprising that the script is full of quotable one-liners - they generally keep these for themselves, but as Tina's mother, Eileen Davies also gets some absolute doozies. It was an accident, Tina whines about the death of the family dog. So were you, retorts her mother, without missing a beat.

The soundtrack, too, is fantastic, consisting of patient, winding piano interspersed with various rock tracks and, in one particularly memorable segment, a spoken-word rendition of part of Jerusalem. It's smart, in an unobtrusive sort of a way, and I particularly liked the way different versions of the same songs were used to illustrate the shifting power balance within Chris and Tina's relationship.

For those concerned about these sorts of things, the gore level is relatively low. The sound engineering, however, fills in the gaps that the visuals leave blank, so people with vivid imaginations will probably find themselves cringing regardless.

The bad

Only a few minor niggles here, to be honest; this is a very, very nice little film indeed.

The cinematography is solid rather than spectacular; it tells the story well enough but with the Yorkshire landscape practically a character in its own right, I would have appreciated a greater sense of place. Perhaps the narrow focus was a stylistic choice, but I do feel as though the bleak landscapes would have really complemented the exceptionally bleak narrative.

There isn't much else to complain about; the film does possibly sag in the middle a little, but at 88 minutes, you have to ask what would have been left if all the slack had been cut away.

The verdict

Bleakly funny and as British as complaining about the weather - it's a crime this one hasn't received the attention it rightfully deserves.