OIFF Film Review: “Trespass Against Us”

— from Paula Treneer —

In contrast to the warm audience reception received by certain opening films at the 2016 Orcas Film Festival, the Seaview Theatre’s October 7th showing of “Trespass Against Us” provoked lively impromptu conversations around town as some filmgoers debated its merits. Director Adam Smith’s immersion in music video and TV directing (“Dr. Who”) shows in the film’s hyperkinetic visual staging of car chases across country fields and towns, as well as his slow-paced character development and minimalist plotting.

Brendan Gleeson (“The General”, “In Bruges”) and Michael Fassbender star as habitual petty criminals and leaders of a “traveler” community, set in rural northern England, where the linguistic challenges for an American audience are significant, even without the idioms particular to this tribe. Chad Cutler, as played by Michael Fassbender, displays waning commitment to his criminal life as his family life evolves, but is trapped in his loyalty to his father Colby (Brendan Gleeson), a patriarchal figure whose egotism ultimately costs Chad the opportunity to provide his young family a better life. Chad is a somewhat more complex character than he appears in the early criminal-caper scenes, as his desire to see his children educated conflicts with his father’s desire to mire the next generation in his criminality and ignorance. Tyson, Chad’s young son portrayed effectively by young actor Georgie Smith, provides an apt pupil for his father and grandfather’s miscreance while ultimately learning a hard lesson about its cost.

Brendan Gleeson’s visceral portrayal of this anti-social career criminal is not that far removed from his exceptional portrayal of a similar archetype in cult classic “In Bruges”, where Colin Farrell provides the youthful energy Michael Fassbender achieves in this film. While some film viewers found the northern accent somewhat impenetrable, I personally found it more accessible than Gleeson’s Irish accent in earlier films. The musical accompaniment was produced by The Chemical Brothers, a group whose videos director Adam Smith has apparently produced, adding an additional dimension to the action sequences. Apparently the US film distribution will include a video on demand feature, which should ameliorate the linguistic challenges to those viewers who are so inclined.