Review of A Field in England (2013) by Christopher E — 05 Jul 2013

Director Ben Wheatly described the film himself as "like being dropped in the past or a foreign country and not having a clue what's going on". I felt this described the film perfectly, A Field In England is a very different film to Kill List (2012), a Wheatley film I'd previously seen, and admirably demonstrates the directors keenness to explore his field (no pun intended).

One of the problems with this low budget David Lynch-esque film is the fact that not enough is explained. Of course, the film expects the viewer to think, to ponder the possible symbolism, to make their own interpretations, and it encourages that well. The problem is that there is a coherent story above the underlying symbolic themes that builds itself up but doesn't deliver a coherent ending. I felt too much was left ambiguous and open to interpretation, to the point where I couldn't tell what was happening.

The acting was decent, with Reece Shearsmith putting on the best performance. Michael Smiley wasn't as good as I've previously seen him, and failed to give off the menacing vibe he has portrayed in previous performances. The dialogue, though often clunky, wasn't too bad, there were some funny lines which lightened the mood, which the film needed at times.

Some of the scenes in the film were breath-taking and beautifully shot, particularly those scenes with music playing over them, the musical score being one of the qualities of the film. The choice of having the film in black and white was definitely for the best, fitting seamlessly with the psychedelic moments in the film, which were also interesting, and beautiful to watch.

The premise of the film, though undoubtedly interesting, felt long winded, and left too many unanswered questions in it's third act. I'm sure I will watch the film again, and maybe, hopefully, I will better understand some of the underlying themes, and can then write a new, more praising review.