Tyrannosaur

UK Release: 7th October 2011

Watched on DVD: Monday 26th March 2012

Rating: 18

Genre: Drama

Runtime: 1hr 27mins

IMDb Plot Synopsis: The story of Joseph, a man plagued by violence and a rage that is driving him to self-destruction. As Joseph's life spirals into turmoil a chance of redemption appears in the form of Hannah, a Christian charity shop worker. Their relationship develops to reveal that Hannah is hiding a secret of her own with devastating results on both of their lives.

My Review: Right from the beginning you can tell that this will be a quality film and as it progresses it packs an emotional punch that’s hard to bare. It’s a heavy film, tackling some tricky issues, and was hard to handle at first, taking me a while to settle into it. But I soon did and the gritty rawness of the film heightened every scene, until you rooted completely for Joseph and Hannah.

The film, rightly so, is BAFTA award winning and it’s definitely not hard to see why. It has everything you need from a film - a heartbreaking story, touchingly told by a small cast of extraordinary actors. 

And a twist I just did not see coming - the unexpected ending only added to the lasting impact it has on its audience.

Olivia Colman and Peter Mullan were particuarly excellent and Eddie Marsan did a great job with a rather difficult role. But, for me, it was ultimately Colman’s film. She was right on the mark and she stole every scene she was in. It was a complex character, but a real one - she was human. And that’s what Tyrannosaur is about. A study of the human condition and the hardships of life. It was beautiful.

Score: 9/10