THE GHOUL marks the directorial debut from Gareth Tunley (The Priest from KILL LIST, Gog from PEEP SHOW - "In school, if you were gonna sneeze, you would run up and do it in his face"), and the latest in this wave of indie British cinema spearheaded by Ben Wheatley, who exec produces here. Tom Meeten stars as Chris, a detective assigned a mysterious murder case by his colleague played by Dan Renton Skinner ("Angelos Epithemiou" himself), in a chilling opening scene as Skinner explains what happened at the crime scene. In an effort to learn more about their prime suspect, Goulding (Rufus Jones), Chris enlists himself into the care of Goulding's therapist pretending to suffer from depression. And if that setup sounds strange, that's only the beginning. Rocketing along at quite a pace, Chris's therapy sessions begin within about 5 minutes of the film starting, and within 6 minutes we already lose track of what exactly is going on. Reality slips away from us as quickly as it does for Chris, as he fears the therapists are trying to deceive and trick him - both we and he are trying to work out whether it's the depressive or detective personality that's really the construct. Our investigation leads us inwards rather than outwards, as this is much more a film about mental illness than it is a murder mystery. If you've seen this sort of film before then you'll know that there will be no clear answer, but it's the feeling of mystery and being lost in this psychological maze where the film flourishes. It's the details of the intricately written script that will cling to you rather than the bigger picture of the narrative. The sessions with the eccentric therapist Morland (Geoffrey McGivern) are a hive of discussions of maths, physics, magic, rituals - with Klein bottles, Möbius Strips and sigils on display. Tunley has clearly researched his subject matter well, with the psychoanalysis being some of the most interesting stuff in the film - such as Morland suggesting Chris give a name to his depression so he can see it as a separate being to himself. Guiding us through these dense discussions and difficult subject matter is a set of very grounded performances, lead by Tom Meeten wearing real pain on his face and wholly pulling us into Chris's spiral. Alice Lowe (PREVENGE) brightens the screen as usual, being a source of both comfort and sadness for Chris; Dan Renton Skinner totally convinces in one of the few serious roles I've seen him in; and stealing a scene towards the middle of the film is Paul Kaye (between days of shooting GAME OF THRONES) delivering a captivating monologue about luck and faith. WHY SHOULD I WATCH IT?
Tunley has crafted a great blend of detective story and psychological drama, of the real and surreal, with bold ideas that promise more goodness from him in the future.
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