Rent The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael (2005)

Disturbing and horrific - but an important film - The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael review by Tim from London

I saw this film 2 days agao and the final horrific scene still makes my stomach turn. The film is about a group of bored and disaffected drug taking teenagers in a nondescript British coastal town - who lack any sense of morality and engage in acts of violence and lawlessness - which culminate in a terrible act of violence. The film reminded me of A Clockwork Orange -in a less stylised way and it was also similar to the films of Bruno Dumont in the way it captured the disaffection and meaningless of the lives of young people in small towns. The film also mocks the audience (abit like Michael Haneke's Funny Games) in that you are encouraged to identify with the 'sensitive' and middle class Robert Carmichael and expect him to end the violence - when all along he was capable of such a horrific act. I found it very hard to rate this film because I couldn't say I really liked it - but it was a very good film and tried to say some important things. OK - at times it was rather heavy handed - especially in the links made to the Iraq war and the role of the media. But it was wonderfully shot - making the coastal town appear dreamlike - and there were some frightingly realistic performances. But be warned - the ending is very violent and disturbing.

Violent Newhaven-set British Film about the drug-taking underclass - worth a watch despite its flaws - The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael review by PV

This is a 2005 British film which delves into the world of the underclass and feral drug-taking youth - a bit like later films Eden Lake and Attack the Block. It is mostly derivative of A Clockwork Orange and various European films, especially French (Maybe why it did well at Cannes 2005).

It is clunky at times, with random scenes added to colour in the backstory of characters. Not sure if they are needed or wanted.

Ironically, for a film which wants to contrast the class between the working class/underclass/'chavs' and the middle-class main character (the actor Daniel Spencer who plays him seems to have vanished though he was likely chosen for his cello-playing skills in the first place), and then with the upper-middle class TV chef and his superior wife, it ends up depicting massive stereotypes of all social classes! Some political points are rammed home hard. That can feel preachy.