Skeletons

Things start out oddly in this film – and it is a way that they pretty much continues for the rest of the film. We join two odd British characters who take the service they provide to clients around the UK with all the enthusiasm and customer-care that you would expect from travelling service people quite tired of their lot. The service they provide, we gradually learn, is to extract secrets from the psychic channels in the house for people who want all their skeletons out of their closet. It is an odd skill and one which the bitter Simon abuses as he spends his free time accessing the warm, safe memories he has rather than living in the moment. When their boss gives them an unusual job, they come up against challenges, but solving them could prove to be worse.

Although it takes a minute to get a grip on what is happening, I did like the way that the film doesn't do a lot of exposition for the viewer but rather lets us work it out by watching. Likewise I liked that the detail of the how's and what's was just left there along with the technical dialogue – because in a way these things don't really matter once you have the idea. And it is a good idea and it does translate into a nice film that is interesting throughout. Sadly that's where my descriptive words tail off because I wasn't left with much more than that. I did "like" the film but yet not as much as I had hoped and it never went beyond being "interested" in it – it didn't ever move me or excite me.

I know for some that the oddity of it all will be part of the reasons they love it but for me that was not enough and I found myself waiting for the film to deliver on these interesting concepts and odd atmosphere. It kinda does but again only in a way that is oddly interesting, not brilliant or really engaging. As a drama I wanted it to have more to move me or hold my attention. As a comedy it is gently comic but never more than this. Like I said, it is an odd film whose downfall is that it is odd to the point that this oddity is the only quality where one feels it is delivering on to its fullest potential. It is hard to describe and I'm sure those that love the film will rage at me but I've not really been able to find any comments by people who love this film that do not include a lot about how "wonderfully odd" it is or similar comments about how refreshing it is and how much better than Hollywood etc etc. Different can be good but different is mostly just different.

The performances are great though. Adamsdale and Buckley are both good together and also produce odd characters without losing sight of them being real people at heart – they are not played for laughs because of who they are, although the laughs may come. They are matched in their weirdness by Isaacs, Middleton, Steen and a few others, all of whom do good work and seem to judge their performances well for the material and tone of the film, I just wished the material had been a little stronger in terms of what the film was trying to do with the ideas (beyond being odd).

So Skeletons turns out to be an interesting little curio that has good ideas and a very odd and comic tone. It doesn't produce a lot of laughs, drama, thrills or emotion though and, as much as I liked the weird feel and the plot, I did keep wanting it to delivery something else to me – but it is something that (if you haven't already guessed) I'm struggling to put my finger on.

I came across this totally by accident and was very surprised there hadn't been more of a buzz about this great film. Best film I have seen for a long time and it must be one of the best ever British films. Creates a weirdly familiar alternative universe which we accept despite ourselves. Very original. Proof that you don't need a big budget or star names to create an interesting, amusing and very successful film. This deserves to be seen by a large audience. It isn't fast paced but the lack of exposition keeps it rolling along nicely. The acting is excellent and for a first time director this is amazingly well imagined and put together. I'm looking forward to the director's next effort.

One word sums up this movie: wow!

What an unbelievably fantastic movie this turned out to be. I had initially expected it to be some sort of comedy, but "Skeletons" turned out to be much more than just your average comedy. Sure there are funny elements to the movie, but it also deals with a much deeper thing than to just make you laugh. It deals with ordinary people and ordinary problems, plus two very extraordinary people - Simon and Bennett.

The story told in "Skeletons" was really phenomenal. It was really a fresh breath of air to the movie business. In the movie you have these people who can literally go into people's closets and see what skeletons and baggage is stored there. Sort of like a personal and spiritual enlightenment and cleansing if you will; enter Simon and Bennett. But the story also goes one step beyond the story of Simon and Bennett's extraordinary abilities, and tell the story of a family suffering from tragic events, events that were very easy to relate to somehow.

Now Simon (played by Will Adamsdale) and Bennett (played by Andrew Buckley) are two very ordinary men with extraordinary talents. And the way that Adamsdale and Buckley play their characters is right on the money. You can relate to their characters and they really come of a vibrant characters on the screen. This really goes to prove, that you don't need huge and glamorous Hollywood names to insure a good movie. Hats off to Adamsdale and Buckley, because they did a phenomenal job in "Skeletons". Now, they weren't alone to carry the movie, Jane (played by Paprika Steen) was also a very memorable character. All the characters in the movie were actually memorable and very lovable, because they were down to earth, ordinary people just like the rest of us. And that really made the movie work so well.

And the music in the movie was quite good as well, it had a very "gypsy-like" feel to it, adding a very weird and mysterious touch to the movie. So the score for the movie was really well composed and in tune with the story of the movie.

The director, Nick Whitfield, has honestly managed to put a very unique and beautiful movie together here. And if this is what to be expected from his next movie, then I am definitely looking forward to that one as well.

If you haven't gotten yourself acquainted with "Skeletons" yet, you definitely need to get into gear, because this movie is worth checking out. It is a very memorable and beautiful movie, and you will not be disappointed with this one. Thumbs up, way, way up for "Skeletons".

Finally a modern film that isn't Hollywood and isn't by the numbers or tickboxes. Nobody is killed, no car chases, just two eccentrics with special powers helping people to get rid of their bad memories or skeletons in the cupboard, modern exorcists with humour instead of horror.

The two actors are perfect for these two odd and squabbling characters. Two mates that look out for each other but also argue and get on each others nerves sometimes.

It's perfectly watchable and enjoyable at all levels, though normally I can't stand that wailing type music which is overused in a lot of films and irrelevant it seems to me. Whereas the Eastern European music was a perfect fit.

The only shortcoming I would say is that not enough is explained in the beginning about what they do or the retro equipment they use. Not everybody knows a lot about cleaning bad spirits and older traditional viewers will be a bit lost. The "boss" is kind of shoe-horned into the plot - again without much explanation or background context. We just have to fill in the gaps ourselves.

Also the pairing at the end is not a very likely outcome though it is a logical conclusion to the previous events.

Whatsisname's review is right - this would make a really good TV series.

I was really surprised upon watching this film on the BBC. It was intriguing and highly worth a view. The casting was great, and considering the low budget, the filming was superb and really drew me in. The suspense really builds up in the film and so you really don't know what to expect as the film progresses. I loved the rapport between the two male leads. I think it is one of the best British films I have seen in years. It is a shame that it didn't reach a wider audience, although I guess the humour wouldn't be to everyone's taste. I'm going to recommend it to all my friends to check out. I hope the writer/director makes some more films.