Mum & Dad

[Stark]

Wow...

Had quite high hopes for this one and, despite it not being what I was expecting, it really lived up to expectations.

Dark, grim and quite funny in places. Sheer genius!

Think everyone was cheering during that final escape...

[Hello Doris!]

Loved this film so much! Was really looking forward to it and was soooo happy that I wasn't disapointed.

Just freaked out by how the Dad looks like my father and how my father does a similar job.

I don't think he is abusing and murdering people from the airport....

[streetrw]

Yikes, this is grim. It is a kind of genuinely messed up black comedy - a family behaving like "normal people" (whatever the hell they are) yet made up of differing brands of nutter. I think my weekend mood may have attuned me to this a little more than I'd have expected, but I'm still glad the BBC have funded this. Makes a change from their usual premium-rate toss.

[kimblebee]

Really loved this - the Christmas scene really reminded me of the Royle Family too - except for the guy hanging on the wall..obviously!

[Khouri]

I really loved this. I was hoping it would be good but it far exceeded my expectations. The Christmas decorations were sheer genius.

[EvilAsh]

Loved it, grim and I hope we see more Brit films come out like it

[Reanimator]

Brilliant - one of the best films of the festival

[maxmum]

IMHO Eden Lake presented ALL working class characters in a negative light.

I don't agree there.

Not all working class people are common. In my opinion the people that are being depicted in these movies are more the common, alcoholic, violent, crass chav culture type families. I don't think these movie say all working class people are like that, but that element exists (true), and that's the element (particularly Eden lake) these films are focusing on. I know it doesn't offend me, as a working class person.

Anyway, I loved the movie...thought the performances were great....and there was a suitable amount of horridness (the xmas tree??).

[valido]

Really loved this one. Probably the best thing is that it goes straight to the point after only 7 minutes, thus treating us with 80 minutes of "substance"

[Gungrave]

Was all set to walk away from this one depressed. The intro had that sort of grim Mike Leigh kinda thing going on and Dad seemed like an english redneck at first. All very predictable.

THEN we saw the family intractions and the split presonalities kick in. From then on in I was hooked. Superb characterisation and acting, gruesome but not over-bearing torture and a fascinating stroy arc that had me sigh with relief as the titles rolled.

Superb, a great little movie that made me peer into all the net curtained front rooms on my walk to work today!

[MaxRenn]

IMHO Eden Lake presented ALL working class characters in a negative light.

I don't agree there.

Not all working class people are common. In my opinion the people that are being depicted in these movies are more the common, alcoholic, violent, crass chav culture type families. I don't think these movie say all working class people are like that, but that element exists (true), and that's the element (particularly Eden lake) these films are focusing on. I know it doesn't offend me, as a working class person.

Anyway, I loved the movie...thought the performances were great....and there was a suitable amount of horridness (the xmas tree??).

I never said all working class people are common, I'm not sure I know what "common" means anyway. But I objected to Eden Lake showing every single person the nice IKEA-buying couple meet (with the sole exception of the Asian boy) being at the very least rude (the barman in the hotel, the "not my kids" waitress) or murderous. There was no other counterpoint.

Eden Lake so flagrantly played on current fears of out-of-control youth and irresponsible parenting from the lower classes that it invites comment on those grounds. I've said before, there is a fine line between exploring social fears and feeding them.

I just as much object the way Mike Leigh often portrays the middle classes as boorish cartoons.

I also found the ending contrived beyond belief. She just happens to have a near-accident, that just happens to make her crash into that yard, that just happens to belong to the kids parents, who just happen to be having a party. And despite an earlier scene that clearly established this as a house where she was unlikely to meet a friendly reception, she forgets all that? It was too much for me to swallow.

[maxmum]

I didn't say you said they are all common, just that these movies are picking on the 'common' type of working class (by that I mean the alcoholic, violent, crass chav culture type families). Also I dont think that the films are saying all working class are like that in my opinion, it's just that that's the type they are concentrating on for the means of the characters.

Isn't the point of a horror movie to play on fears??

Just keep repeating... it's only a movie....it's only a movie....

[rach]

I thought this was superb and I did leave feeling a little queasy.

[MaxRenn]

I didn't say you said they are all common, just that these movies are picking on the 'common' type of working class

Doh! Sorry my mistake

Of course horror is all about exploring fears, and short of not being snuff (thank you Mr Del Toro) the genre has the absolute right to go wherever those fears lead. Doesn't mean I'm gonna give a film I think is reactionary, mean spirited and narrow minded a free pass though. Anyway Eden Lake has plenty of admirers, it'll do fine. Personally I thought Mum & Dad owned it.

[BabyJaneHudson]

Had a good feeling about this film when considering which ones to see before buying my tickets and I am really glad I went with my instincts. One of the best films of the festival. Very twisted, brutal, grim and gorey with excellent performances. Only one small gripe is the main characters Polish accent. My boyfriend is Polish and he was laughing about how non-polish she sounded and the fact that her name is virtually unheard of in Poland. Even I was thinking "she doesn't sound Polish at all" but like I said, a tiny gripe in a really good film.

My attention did not wander at all and the licking of the black toe nails was a nice touch but the masturbating sequence and the oozing of the jism from the body part had a YUK value of 100! LOL SO GROSS !! I am really glad a Brit film turned out to be as well made as this and considering the budget was tiny and it is in the same class as other great films of the festival like The Chaser, Martyrs etc which would have had much bigger budgets, this is a great achievement.

Excellent.