Wreckers [DVD]

I bought this DVD specifically to check out Benedict Cumberbatch's performance. I am completely impressed, not only by Benedict but also by the rest of the cast. The story is engaging, intriguing, and well-paced. The only reason I can't give this film the full five stars is that I felt just a bit unsatisfied with the ending. If I could've done a rating of 4.5, I would have.I don't want to say too much and ruin the fun for those of you who haven't seen the movie, so I will just say that Benedict turns in a wonderful performance as David, and Claire Foy is a terrific complement as Dawn. The movie is about David and Dawn's relationship, and how it evolves as they learn more about each other and are affected by the secondary characters in the story. I'd have liked to see a bigger glimpse of the characters' pasts in this film. Benedict explores a darker side in this story that we haven't really seen from him before..I'm a tremendous fan of Benedict, so if you're a fan, too, this is a must-own DVD for your collection. Even if you're not a huge BC fan but you're a viewer who likes indie films and relationship-driven stories, then you will also enjoy this film. But, just as a fair warning, Benedict is a narcotic. You will likely become addicted like the rest of us if you watch this movie. Enjoy!.

Viewing

I was recommended to watch this film by a friend who was particularly impressed by the cinematography and how it manages to catch the atmosphere of the Cambridgeshire Fens; the openness and calm on the one hand, but also the way that visual austerity can reflect back one's thoughts directly, offering no comfort or solace.It's the unforgiving backdrop to a moment in the characters' lives where the feelings which have lain beneath the surface for so many years are to be exposed. The deceptively tranquil surface of everyday life - choir rehearsals, picnics and evenings at the local - are just that, a surface, with the fragility of glass. For the passions and feelings which the film examines are ones which are so powerful as to be beyond control, their eruption having the potential to wreck lives.The performances are mesmerising, and one is drawn in so gradually but so completely as, just in a Vermeer, the smallest incident becomes significant. The dialogue is at times almost imperceptible, the music so integrated as to be unnoticeable, but the depths of despair are apparent in the characters' eyes as the film builds inexorably towards its climax.There are of course no answers, and just as real life moves on we are left with a feeling of quiet acceptance as the film turns full circle, ending as it had begun.

It's a story about characters who have issues of abandonment (Dawn), and have been victims of abuse (David and Nick). The deliberate silences and the restricted environment leave the viewer feeling trapped in the situation with them. I found it hard to watch as there're no lighter moments and no hope of redemption for any of them. No one learns anything that helps them grow. It's a sad and often scary situation. Not even the huge talents of Benedict Cumberbatch (brilliant in Sherlock and Imitation Game) and Claire Foy (absolutely love her work in Unsane and First Man) manage to rescue a depressing script. It's a sharply observed character portrayal - but that's all it is - and you'll need to be in a good place yourself to watch this all the way through. It comes across to me as more as an actor's workshop piece than a satisfying viewer experience.

Precise casting, Benedict Cumberbatch and Shaun Evans work well together as brothers David and Nick, it is easy to feel the brotherly warmth, love, rivalry and the animosity that perpetuates between them. Claire Foy is also formidable as David’s wife (Dawn).This is a complex film working on a psychological, mental health level. Nick (Shaun Evans) has his problems and from the start they stir up concern for Dawn who has Nick forced upon her new marriage to David (Benedict Cumberbatch) when Nick turns up at their rambling old cottage in the country. Nick’s disturbed behaviour soon becomes apparent. David and Dawn are unable to have children, David blames Dawn behind her back, whilst he is the one with the problems, she eventually conceives but he is not the father even though he believes he is. There are entanglements all over the place and a severe deficit of loyalty pervades in this intimate village, leaving the viewer never knowing what is going to happen next and when Nick suddenly has sex with one of his old (married) friends against a tree whilst taking a country stroll with Dawn, one wonders just is going happen.Only 81 minutes running time but holds the attention and worth watching.

I enjoyed seeing the three main actors who have since come to fame in high profile TV series and also on the big screen. As you would expect the characters that they portray and the story that they reveal is all very believable . The story although intense is revealed at a leisurely pace and the actors convey a lot through their eyes even when they are not speaking. It is a sad story really about damaged individuals. It is a film that can be appreciated on a small screen and is not one that I would have paid a lot to see in a cinema.