Review of Tyrannosaur (2011) by Bryce L — 30 Mar 2012

Tyrannosaur can be a hard film to watch but at the same time it's hard to stop watching once you started. An incredibly raw portrayal of two destructive and wounded personalities that find peace through each other - each one carrying his own baggage, particularly in regard of violence. Their paths cross and Hannah appears to be Jospeh's guardian angel, tho in the end, he might also be hers.

This is the kind of film that leaves you limp, exhausted and feeling battered by the end. But its wrenching, superb performances make the beating worth weathering. Peter Mullan and Olivia Colman are so masterful, giving such hard-as-nails, lived-in performances in this stark drama that it's impossible not to be pulled in. The leads are practically the whole show - damn these two people are so good, it's almost impossible to catch your breath sometimes.

There are some very fascinating and interesting camera angles, capturing the sad not of this film very strongly - the understated visuals give the characters room to make the material their own. The colour palette is generally very greyish, giving it a painful/heavy tone - but the visuals are never manipulative!

The brutality of Tyrannosaur isn't so over the top as you might think at first, what really hits you is the sympathy you develop for its flawed main characters. The sympathy you develop for Hannah is very understandable, what is interesting tho, is the one you develop for Joseph... Joseph is a cleary violent man with a drinking problem who is marked by furious anger, someone who killed his dog and who probably also hit is wife (tho this is never really said) that passed away. When it comes to the character of James, tho, I was disgusted and I clearly felt like I wanted to throw up - because I know exactly that there are people like him in this world, people that should actually be hung up by their very own balls.

Paddy Considine was very brave, directing a film with such a great intensity and such a strong yet vulnerable theme as his debut. He directed an intimate film, that doesn't even have hope of containing a message. There is no message, just reality. The direction is very confident, pushed by strong dialogues and a decent pacing.

Thankfully, this movie also has some very wam moments and the end it is even a little uplifiting - at least you leave this film not completely devastated, but with a glimpse of hope that it could actually turn out right. That some people can change for the better and help each other. The tears I cried were very violent and I found the whole film weirdly sentimental - honestly, I never thought it would make me cry. But this film does push the tears without being manipulative. It is different because it is so real. I felt the tears literally burning on my cheeks, strapped to my seat and feeling my heart actually ache.

Tyrannosaur is nothing for the fainthearted - and I mean it. You don't wanna see this film if you are very sensitive or in a bad/depressed mood. It will last heavily on your shoulders and you will think about it for quite some time because of the obvious human connection. It is cruel, violent, punishing, painful and horrifying - but so brave with moments of warm human contact that puncture the harshness of Tyrannosaur.