Tuesday, December 29, 2020

THEM’S THE RULES (Home MCR)*****

 

By Cal

Link: https://homemcr.org/production/thems-the-rules

Available until: Unknown

A man lies asleep on the sofa, not moving. We can also see part of his home. A lamp. A picture on the wall.

The screen is silent and the man is still, but it’s enough to intrigue me. This gives the man the opportunity to wake up slowly… and realises someone is trying to speak to him online.

It’s clear from the expression on this face that this call is unexpected.

And so follows a wonderful story full of twists and turns, taking you into unexpected places and along the breadth and depth of emotions as we learn about these two people and their shared history. It’s wonderfully-written by Hester Chillingworth, the way they grab hold of your emotions and won’t let you go – not that you’ll want to go anywhere. Even when the film is over, you won’t want to go. Hester also directs the piece and they have done brilliantly. The courage to go for the long silence and stillness in the first scene, the contrasts in how the two characters appear… they have clearly thought about everything so carefully and got it exactly right.

The roles are performed by Peter Hobday and Nicki Hobday. Peter absolutely excels as the man – there are so many emotional demands and in such a short space of time too, but it feels real and raw. Nicki’s role doesn’t have the same emotional demands, but she has a harder job to win our sympathy and she manages it.

This really is an excellent film. Having enjoyed Caretaker for the first five months of lockdown and absolutely loved this, I am really excited about seeing more of Hester’s work.

No comments:

Post a Comment

What to Watch Now

HAMLET (Bristol Old Vic)*****

  By Megan Link: https://bristololdvic.org.uk/whats-on/hamlet-on-demand Available until: 29 th November 2022 (48 hour rental) Content...