Directed
by Keith Wright and produced in the United Kingdom in 2011, Harold’s Going Stiff was screened during the recent Durban International Film Festival.
Elderly
Harold Gimble is suffering from a frightening new disease that is turning him,
along with a large proportion of British men (the disease does not affect women)
into a member of the undead.
Got
camera, will travel … we are often misguided by this concept that we can film
and so we must. It was evident that the producers had a budget. Then why didn’t
they pay a scriptwriter? This is a fine example to be shown to aspirant
filmmakers of what cinema is not about. From start to finish I kept asking
myself “Why?”
Without
the slight play on the word ‘stiff’ there was nothing satirical or in the least
bit creative that could warrant even an attempt by the producer to engage the
audience. I am particularly fond of trying new things. Somebody in this unit
thought that they were doing that. Instead they tried old wrong things.
If
you look up the synopsis that’s all you need. Unless you have this fetish of
cringing in cinemas, don’t put yourself through this experience. Nothing in the
film was consistent and I felt as if the director had no respect for his audience,
much less the community his “story” represented. Audience members started to
engage in their own conversations and - unlike normally - nobody minded.
Okay,
let’s make it a little easier for you. Harold got stiff and they beat him to
death. Then they found a cure and Harold was a hero because he was used in the
testing process. Done. - Pranesh Maharaj
Posts
