Dir: Shane Meadows
Year: 2009
Country: UK
Duration: 71mins
Print Source: pault@madman.com.au
www.madman.com.au
Shane Meadows (This Is England, Dead Man's Shoes, Once Upon A Time In The Midlands) and regular leading man Paddy Considine (Red Riding, Hot Fuzz, My Summer of Love) turn their hands to comedy with this improvised mockumentary about roadie Donk. Apparently wise beyond his years, Donk is turning his skills and experience to nurturing and producing new talent in the form of rapper Scor-zay-zee. With the possibility of an Arctic Monkeys support slot, fame and success could be close by.
While there's a touch of Spinal Tap here, the emphasis is different with the comedy combining the naturalism that Meadows excels at with the kind of observational improvisation associated with the early plays and films of Mike Leigh (think Meantime). Considine shines as Donk, capturing a certain kind of tragic machismo perfectly, while Dean Palinczuk is flawless as Donk's trusting lackey. Watch out for Peep Show's Olivia Colman as Donk's girlfriend. Produced as a 5 Day Feature, a post-Dogme 95 celebration of not-quite guerrilla cinema, the film shows what can be achieved on a minimal budget in just one week.
Screens with Swamp Dogs