Tyrannosaur
Paddy Considine’s monstrously bleak directorial debut
Most definitely a film to be approached in the right frame of mind, because the misery at play in this film could have you dialling the Samaritans if tackled without some kind of background info.
Peter Mullan plays Joseph, an unemployed widower with some serious rage problems (in the opening scene a bad day at the bookies sees him cave his beloved dogs rib cage in through a fit of anger). He’s a simmering pot of anger that’s ready to explode. After one violent altercation he takes refuge in a charity shop owned by the pleasant Olivia Coleman, a Christain who tries to pray for his troubled soul. However as the story a progress it becomes apparent Coleman’s own life is ravaged by a violent spouse who has her living in constant fear.
Olivia Coleman, perhaps best known in the UK for comedy Peep Show, is one of the best hidden gems this country has. She delivers an acting tour de force in this film, a character so beaten down and relatable that I spent most of the viewing cradling myself at the sheer awfulness of her dilemma. Her seemingly perfect husband Eddie Marsan is a mild mannered monster who in his first appearance on screen enters the house drunk and urinates on his sleeping wife. Yes, it’s that level of harrowing…
Mullan and Coleman form an odd alliance and gain strength through each other. He slowly mellows, and she fights back against her abuser. However the conclusion is just as terrible and heart breaking that I had to sit for ten minutes after just to collect my thoughts. The themes of this hard hitting drama hit me like a steam train.
Far from feel good, this film delivers some heavy blows, but the acting from Mullan and Coleman is the best I’ve seen in some time.
