I’m currently watching a psychological drama called The Hide .
The premise is simple an ornithologist (aka birdwatcher) goes bird watching on windswept moorlands only to have his peace and tranquility interrupted by an edgy stranger, the two then begin to bond over discussions on everything from garden gnomes and power tools to inappropriate jokes and lost love. Whilst there are a few funny moments this film is very much in the vein of Shallow Grave, it’s gritty, slow moving in places and often austere. Whilst the opening scenes set up the characters i.e. the OCD driven Roy and tattoo-laden Dave you quickly realize that not everything as it seems – which is probably the films biggest negative point you will probably work out certain things quite early on. However that aside the two (and only) leads are on fantastic form with Alex McQueen playing a sinister mesh up of Coronation Street’s Roy Cropper, The Simpson’s Ned Flanders and Psycho’s Norman Bates to a tee, whilst Phillip Campbell’s Dave plays out a Jimmy "Popeye" Doyle (from French Connection) in a Travis Bickle skin.
All in all one of the best films I’ve seen in recent years, and for that I’m going to give it a 9/10 .