Review of Sightseers (2012) by Alistair L — 06 Dec 2012

Every once in a while a low budget independant film comes along that leaves you buzzing. Sightseers certainly falls into that category. Ben Wheatley follows up, what for me was a very poor film, Kill List with a dark rom/com/serial killer/roadtrip tale. Written by the leads Oram & Lowe it chronicles Chris & Tina's journey thorugh the countryside pulling their caravan to a carefully planned out order by Chris. Still being a new relationship they're still learning about each other as they embark on their first holiday.

Seemingly a very passive man a sequence of seeming trivial events trigger the dark side to Chris and in turn unleashes the angry woman in Tina.

The film doesn't rely on any one kind of comedy but combines a number adding it's own dark twists. Yes it has laugh out loud moments but mixes them with more subtle chuckles.

Oddly it does give off a warm feeling within it's more serene moments but then swings wildly as you realise just who is going to irritate Chris. They also abduct a victims dog, Banjo, to be renamed Poppy after Tina's former pet who had met with an unfortunate end some time previously much to Tina's Mother's behest. Her Mother adds some meddling briefly to proceedings along the way from her home.

It's just a marvellous little film, perhaps not to everybody's taste, that restores your faith in UK cinema.