Camping. Nature. Visits to historical places. Wine on the waterfront. Rain. Family arguments. Brutal murders.

Directed by Ben Wheatley (Kill List, Down Terrace), winner of Empire Magazine’s Award for Best British Film, selected for screening in the Director’s Fortnight at the 2012 Cannes Film Festival, a fine example of absurd cinema and quite possibly the most British murder movie ever made, Sightseers follows 2 dysfunctional misfits on a dull caravan holiday, where what begins with a terrible accident quickly becomes an outlet for frustration and ultimately a new and inventive way to throw a tantrum.

Starring Steve Oram (The Increasingly Poor Decisions of Todd Margaret) as struggling writer Chris and Alice Lowe (Hot Fuzz) as Tina, his girlfriend/all too enthusiastic partner in crime with a degree in dog psychology, it’s dark, it’s disturbing, and it’s devastatingly funny at times, with an ending equal parts all three. Moving from pagan rituals to pencil museums, we get an insight into the boredom and loneliness Chris and Tina live in and are desperate to escape from, as well as a taste of some of the weirdness in the wilderness of the English countryside. Chris and Tina exist in a weird in-between world, complaining about the lack of respect for the good old days but equally complaining about conservatives who want to go back to those same days. It’s about misfits who don’t know what they want and wouldn’t know what to do if they got it.

Perhaps some of the humour won’t translate to a Canadian audience, and some of the characters might lack subtlety, but overall this is a fantastic tour of England and fractured minds.

Donal O’connor