Censor. (15.)
Directed by Prano Bailey-Bond
Starring Niamh Algar, Nicholas Burns, Vincent Franklin, Adrian Schiller and Michael Smiley. In cinemas. 84 mins.
I wonder if the 1980s might become to British filmmakers an inverse of what the 1950s are to American ones. Although the Eisenhower era is often viewed through a sinister or mocking lens, the post-war period is generally presented as a lost Eden, a consumer paradise lost. In contrast, for British filmmakers the Thatcher years are a dump so wretched that contemporary 21st century misery seems not so bad in comparison. To despair at how terrible the nation is now is to be ignorant of its history. We don't even have fond memories of the 50s: for us, the paradise lost is either the sixties or the second world war.
This knowing little horror flick about What The Censor Saw takes us back to the great eighties moral panic of the Video Nasties, the time after the A, AA and X certificates had become PG, 15 and 18. Enid (Algar) works at the BBFC, a conscientious moral guardian trying to stem this tide of filth. In contrast, libertarian colleague (Burns) lets everything pass. Her determination to do the job right is motivated by a family tragedy, the disappearance of her sister when they were both young. She becomes unhinged when she has to evaluate a horror film that seems to reflect on that incident.
Bailey-Bond's début film is original and well mounted. The first part of the film is grubby and claustrophobic, presenting the BBFC as a subterranean bureaucratic labyrinth, all paperwork and graphic dismembering, and the mid-80s as a time when the sun was not seen. The sense of brooding unease is broken two-thirds of the way through by a jolting moment of black comedy that shifts the tone into something more graphic.
It's an effective mood piece but what Censor is, above all, is cosy. It seems to me to be ticking a few too many BFI boxes. It is designed to appeal to a kind of British film buff and academic who either grew up in or is obsessed with that era. The esteemed author, film reviewer and horror aficionado Kim Newman is listed among the executive producers. Now, I always enjoy and appreciate Mr Newman's insightful contributions in the extras to various cult Blu-ray releases but he is representative of a type of critic who will lap this up. If you could bet on reviews, I'd put your mortgage on Mark Kermode giving it 5 stars.
And there's nothing wrong with that, their enthusiasm is 100% genuine, but it is also indicative of a kind of horror film that receives rave reviews to the bemusement of horror fans. It's all a bit Berberian Sound Studio. The only really scary or disturbing scenes are the clips from actual video nasties.
Massive Big Spoiler, I think the cosiness is most clearly expressed in the film's conclusion when the moral guardian is found to be more deranged than the filmmakers she judges.
Directed by Prano Bailey-Bond
Starring Niamh Algar, Nicholas Burns, Vincent Franklin, Adrian Schiller and Michael Smiley. In cinemas. 84 mins.
I wonder if the 1980s might become to British filmmakers an inverse of what the 1950s are to American ones. Although the Eisenhower era is often viewed through a sinister or mocking lens, the post-war period is generally presented as a lost Eden, a consumer paradise lost. In contrast, for British filmmakers the Thatcher years are a dump so wretched that contemporary 21st century misery seems not so bad in comparison. To despair at how terrible the nation is now is to be ignorant of its history. We don't even have fond memories of the 50s: for us, the paradise lost is either the sixties or the second world war.
This knowing little horror flick about What The Censor Saw takes us back to the great eighties moral panic of the Video Nasties, the time after the A, AA and X certificates had become PG, 15 and 18. Enid (Algar) works at the BBFC, a conscientious moral guardian trying to stem this tide of filth. In contrast, libertarian colleague (Burns) lets everything pass. Her determination to do the job right is motivated by a family tragedy, the disappearance of her sister when they were both young. She becomes unhinged when she has to evaluate a horror film that seems to reflect on that incident.
Bailey-Bond's début film is original and well mounted. The first part of the film is grubby and claustrophobic, presenting the BBFC as a subterranean bureaucratic labyrinth, all paperwork and graphic dismembering, and the mid-80s as a time when the sun was not seen. The sense of brooding unease is broken two-thirds of the way through by a jolting moment of black comedy that shifts the tone into something more graphic.
It's an effective mood piece but what Censor is, above all, is cosy. It seems to me to be ticking a few too many BFI boxes. It is designed to appeal to a kind of British film buff and academic who either grew up in or is obsessed with that era. The esteemed author, film reviewer and horror aficionado Kim Newman is listed among the executive producers. Now, I always enjoy and appreciate Mr Newman's insightful contributions in the extras to various cult Blu-ray releases but he is representative of a type of critic who will lap this up. If you could bet on reviews, I'd put your mortgage on Mark Kermode giving it 5 stars.
And there's nothing wrong with that, their enthusiasm is 100% genuine, but it is also indicative of a kind of horror film that receives rave reviews to the bemusement of horror fans. It's all a bit Berberian Sound Studio. The only really scary or disturbing scenes are the clips from actual video nasties.
Massive Big Spoiler, I think the cosiness is most clearly expressed in the film's conclusion when the moral guardian is found to be more deranged than the filmmakers she judges.
