A Field in England (2013)
Ben Wheatley's experimental horror film is a starkly photographed multi-leveled piece. On one hand you have the story about Reece Shearsmith's English Civil War deserter who appears to have an epiphany thanks to ingesting magic mushrooms. On the other hand it's a straightforward story of friendship in extremely testing times. Then there's the field itself. Does it have an 'Olde English' magic? Do events play out because of the English countryside or is it something else entirely?
The films centrepiece is a startling magic mushroom induced psychedelic trip, although headf*ck is a better description. It's difficult to watch and certainly shouldn't be viewed by anyone who remotely suffers from epilepsy. It's a hard watch and as i glanced at the white walls in my darkened front room following the experience, the dark shapes thrown up by my eyes were all rather weird.
The film is very low budget but Wheatley's photography is exceptional as random English field images punctuate proceedings making the head spin even more into the far reaches of the English psyche. However for me it mainly made me itch and sneeze at the thought of crawling through meadows like Messrs Shearsmith, Smiley and co do.
A Field in England - a film that drags you in and makes you scratch your head at the goings on yet still keeps you thoroughly entertained as well as lost in it's nightmarish situation is a rare and truly brilliant beast.
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