It is hard to do this job sometimes. I mean here I am sat in a rather beautiful cinema, Cameo in Edinburgh, and it’s 08.45am. Not the most ideal time to watch any film let alone one as complex and wondrous as director Nick Whitfield’s Skeletons. This British film, up for nomination for this years Michael Powell Award, is one that will remain with you. Its originality, beauty, and humour is aided by a brilliant cast and an amazing script.
We all know the saying ‘Skeletons in our/your closet’. In Skeletons we get to meet two closet exorcist, David and Bennet, played by the ingenious pairing of Andrew Buckley and Ed Gaughan. Their job is to rid people of any issues they might have, any problems, and they quite simply, clean out the closets of those who need it. Their task is set by The Colonel, played by Jason Isaacs, yet we are held back on finding out too much about their job or their powers.
Both Bennett (Buckley) and Davis (Gaughan) are faced by the embarrassing surprises that they inside their clients closets. At times its a beautiful thing to watch as they go inside this ‘world’ and their conclusion (to which there is only one for the viewer) is incredibly cold. It’s this coldness that causes the first cracks in the relationship between Bennett and Davis as Bennett fells like they should offer more and leaving them after they find out what lies inside their closets is unfair.
The two exorcists are plagued with their own demons with Davis, a loner, addicted to one moment in his past, with Bennett, a loveable understanding and very sensitive bear like man, able to hold his composure and not let the main core of their misson get in the way. They are swapped a case by their boss and told of a promotion to the A-team (which means global closet cleaning) but The Colonel has is doubts about Davis who he sees as a son. The case they swap involves a missing person.
Hollywood in Smalltownsville
I had to look twice when I was watching Skeletons. I was sure I know it was Jason Isaacs but I wasn’t sure. His rough northern accent and his more than shift eyes didn’t convince me. Part of me was a little unsure because a) this was director Whitfield’s debut, and b) it was a small independent British film. That said Isaacs puts in as wonderful performance as the main characters, he holds back what he knows and what he can do but we, much like Davis and Bennett, are more than aware of his power.
As David starts to lose control over his personal addiction Bennett starts to take over the running of this case. Their new case takes a strange turn when Bennett is unable to get a reading and so decides to stay with the woman, played by Paprika Steen, and her two children Rebecca and Jojo. As the relationships between the mother, JoJo and Bennett begin to evolve the relationship between Davis and Bennett begins to sour.
Nick Whitfield, writer/director of Skeletons, has done something truly amazing with his feature debut. The use of countryside invokes space and freedom and his occasional use of trains and train lines only adds more to movement and freedom that the two main characters - and later on Jane – don’t have. His script is full of wit, observations, and cleverly written dialogue that Gaughan and Buckley are only to adept at delivering with honesty and conviction.
Few debuts are as so well paced, original, and authentic as Skeletons and its inclusion in the Michael Powell Award this year is justified and then some. This film is about to become a modern classic and follow in the footsteps of last years MP Award Winner Duncan Jones and his debut Moon.
