People spend a great deal of time searching for their other half, and once they find that perfect love, they will do everything to keep it. That determination is plain to see in Ben Wheatley’s movie Sightseers, a romantic comedy without equal. Two awkward lovebirds’ road trip turns into an appalling travelogue as soon as they discover each other’s darkest parts.
Thirty-four-year-old introvert Tina (Alice Lowe) is first spotted consoling her rancorous mother (Eileen Davies) right before going on holiday. Carol, who remains vocally disapproving of her live-in daughter’s recent relationship, makes her feelings loud and clear as Chris (Steve Oram) picks up Tina. With little delay and absolutely no tact the mother tells Chris she does not like him, then calls her daughter a murderer. Carol’s behavior, while inappropriate, is in part justified. To be more specific, the mother’s cryptic reservations about Chris are surprisingly spot on.
As viewers have already surmised, Carol’s “murderer” outburst stems from the loss of her beloved Poppy, and how Tina played a role in the dog’s accidental death. The mother has yet to forgive the daughter, with the guilt now hanging over Tina. So, this caravan holiday is not only meant to be an “erotic odyssey” for the new couple but also Tina’s much-needed reprieve from Carol’s acrimony.
It does not take long for Chris, a seemingly average fellow who hopes to write a novel along the way, to show his true colors. First he backs up over a man he just so happened to disagree with earlier at the National Tramway Museum. Then he murders a neighbor at a caravan park. Although Tina is none the wiser at this point, she is more than happy to abduct the dead man’s dog, Banjo, who looks a lot like Poppy. When Tina finally learns of her sweetheart’s hidden bloodthirst, she is less horrified than expected. In fact she develops a taste for murder herself. From there the couple lays waste to the loathsome bystanders they meet on their trip.
Sightseers is uncommonly good when conceiving and dissecting its lead characters. Dowdy Tina is downright the saddest of the two; the audience is made aware of her pathos as she struggles to be accepted by her spiteful mother. Her efforts are futile and her surrender to Carol’s abuse is frustrating. The mother lords Poppy’s death over the daughter, using it very much like an emotional choke chain. More attention is undoubtedly paid to Tina, and by the end, all the work pays off.
Chris, on the other hand, is as self-righteous as he is fragile. As much as he believes his crimes are warranted, they are really a reflection of his insecurities. Flattening a stubborn litterbug with the caravan is one thing, but going after Banjo’s original guardian, another writer, because he felt inferior to him is a damning statement all on its own. The most compelling evidence is when Chris bludgeons a man who demands Tina pick up after her dog. The funny thing is, this stranger dies for exerting the same morally superior attitude that Chris himself wields. Watching the couple then nonchalantly eat the victim’s packed lunch only a few feet away from his freshly slain body is the first truly chilling moment in the movie Sightseers.
For a short time Chris and Tina’s love withstands the truth; it appears even stronger. Before long comes the beginning of the end when reality sets in and Chris sees Tina’s all-in acceptance as something bad. As toxic as Carol is, she imparts essential insight from afar: “Whatever you give him, he’ll want the opposite.” Sightseers goes on to deepen the cracks in Tina and Chris’ shaky relationship with careful understanding and authentic performances. As inhuman as these two people are, the way their romance fizzles out is incredibly human.
A third-act rough patch sets Chris and Tina on a course for splitsville, and no amount of accord and passion (namely on Tina’s part) can seem to change that. Chris cites Tina’s chaotic approach to killing as the reason for their breakage, whereas Tina has given up parts of herself to be with him. The story wants them to be together — their shared murder anthem of “Season of the Witch” illustrates how alike they truly are — and as twisted as this may be, so does the audience. That would at least keep them out of the general dating pool.
Thematically speaking, Sightseers comes very close to its target. Lowe and Oram gather a surplus of sympathy in spite of their characters’ depravity. The ending can be seen as abrupt or interpreted as unfulfilling. Contrarily, the story has emphasized the need for growth when it comes to love. Making room for someone else while recognizing how said love changes one’s self. Here one person matures more than the other as well as reaches an epiphany about the kind of relationship they want.
While Wheatley’s Kill List blurs criminal goings-on with folk-horror, follow-up movie Sightseers is a grim but attractive horror-comedy spotted with pitch-black humor. Lowe and Oram’s cutting script acts as a scenic collection of murderous episodes. In between the many visited vistas and tourist attractions are these bursts of jarring manslaughter that reveal the inner workings of both troubled protagonists. The inevitable laughs stem less from the killings and more from the eerily honest depiction of splintery romance once the honeymoon period is over.
Horrors Elsewhere is a recurring column that spotlights a variety of movies from all around the globe, particularly those not from the United States. Fears may not be universal, but one thing is for sure — a scream is understood, always and everywhere.
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