A Field in England, the latest from Sightseers’ director Ben Wheatley, is a trip into a black & white world that many will be unprepared for. I’ll be honest, this movie confused the crap out of me. I really couldn’t tell you what I was watching except for the basic plot: Set in 17th-Century England, after deserting a battle in search of an ale house, a bunch of war deserters soon become prisoners of a man who participates in occult rituals and believes there is a hidden treasure buried somewhere out in the field in which they have now fled to. All the prisoners are then forced to dig for the treasure after one of them, Whitehead-an alchemist’s assistant, goes into a crazed psycho trance, caused by this other supposed Alchemist, named O’Neil, where he leads all of them around like a hound dog tracking down a person. That’s the entire movie in a nutshell and, surprisingly, it somehow lasts a full 90 minutes which, upon reflection, boggles my mind.
There’s a lot of weird stuff going on in A Field in England. There are a few laughs that stem from Wheatley’s natural flair for dark comedy, but the rest of the film features people dying and coming back to life, a rope in the middle of a field that apparently makes people appear out of nowhere and other crazy bits. Maybe I just wasn’t focused completely but this certainly isn’t a movie for the masses, but rather for those who are fans of experimental filmmaking. I think the main reason the movie confuses me is because it doesn’t come off fantastical at all yet incorporates those elements in it as if it were normal. My mind couldn’t wrap itself around the concept while watching the film.
In what I think is an attempt to mimic classic films but with a trippy vibe, Wheatley decided to shoot A Field in England in black & white, which surprisingly worked. While it felt a little off since the visuals seemed too clear for a black & white period piece, once the psychedelic scenes kicked in the film became visually ridiculous. I for one am happy it wasn’t in color because I’m pretty sure I, and probably man others, would have had a seizure as a result of the visual insanity.
I haven’t seen Down Terrace yet, but Wheatley’s three films since (Kill List, Sightseers, and A Field in England) have practically nothing in common except for some explicit violence. Even if I’m not a fan of this film it’s hard for me to not give him credit for taking risks and creating original and generally compelling films. At the very least, he’s one of the most interesting filmmakers working today and his ability to shift genres smoothly reminds me of an English version of Takashi Miike, the only difference being is one is much more prolific than the other.
A Field in England is a film for the experimental connoisseur, one looking for a vastly different type of film experience or one looking for a film that might have multiple layers to peel back. Maybe I just didn’t “get” it or maybe I need to re-watch it but A Field in England didn’t do anything for me except provide a chuckle here and there and an occasional “what the f*ck is happening” stare. If you’re a fan of Wheatley I suggest watching it no matter what but, if you’re looking for some entertainment I suggest you look elsewhere.
Rating: A weird trip into a black & white, psychedelic world of an odd alchemist in 17th-Century England (4.5/10)
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