If you ever wanted to know what films Ken Loach would have made if he had been brought up on a steady diet of The Evil Dead and cheap speed on a sink estate in Maldon then do we have a treat for you! Made by the Chelmsford Film Society and distributed by independent film royalty Troma Entertainment, it tackles questions of reality, social degradation, mental health, and quantum physics. Mostly it does it by taking the piss and being cheap as hell, but that doesn’t mean it can’t be groundbreaking in it’s own rights.

Context

Before I get stuck into the praise, I want to make it clear what this film isn’t. As said, it’s a very low budget production so production quality is not that high and all the sound is done in post. It’s also got a cast who, I’m sure by their own admission, aren’t very good actors, so even if they were given more than one take they wouldn’t know what to do with it. In short, the petit bourgeoisie can save time and go watch something by Hallmark that you’ll forget the moment the credits start up.

Will

The rest of us can get stuck into something that feels like the inside of a nervous breakdown. Main character Lorraine (Lorraine Malby) is either on a quest to find a portal to another world, to save all of mankind, or is suffering extreme PTSD and being ruthlessly exploited by a relentless conman called Dale (David Hollinshead). Caryl (Caryl Griffith) is her mother, who brought her up after her dad abandoned them, and Gill (Gill Nunns, are you spotting a pattern yet?) is her daughter. They’re both trying to keep her safe, out of hospital, and to get her life onto something like normal.

Not

Over the course of the film we learn more about their histories and situations, as well as getting a veritable tour around some of the most rundown areas of Essex. What is originally presented as farce becomes surreal and metaphorical, whilst maintaining a constant Job Seekers Allowance aesthetic, and absurdist comedy moves to tragic drama and then to uplifting adventure. All of this with a constant bespoke jungle soundtrack from the Ceephax Acid Crew, who manage to assist with the emotional journey whilst always keeping the bass massive.

Help

Obviously all this is ridiculous and played utterly for laughs, of which there are many. Some are mean spirited, several are finely crafted observation, and many are the simple joys of a line that smashes ineloquence and emotion together. But it’s also touching, sentimental, and, on some profound levels, grounded in the real life of real people. Maybe not the bit with the dinosaurs, but I put that down the director/writer team of David Hollinshead and Philip Thompson letting their ambition get the better of them.

Here

This film does not require you to sit down and turn off your brain, instead is asks you to look beyond yourself and accept the altered, but surprisingly recognisable, reality that the characters are living in. If you can do that then you’ll find it a Treasure that will stick with you for days and that you’ll want to tell your friends about just so they can enjoy it as well. And if you can’t then I question why you would even think of watching a film with such a title.

The Raggedyman