FrightFest 2010 Review: F
F (2010)
Directed by: Johannes Roberts
Starring: David Schofield, Eliza Bennett, Emma Cleasby, Ruth Gemmell, Juliet Aubrey
Review by: Ben Bussey
The life of Robert Anderson (Schofield) would not make a good advertisment for the teaching profession. Divorced from his wife, distanced from his daughter – who is also one of his pupils – Anderson is a shadow of a man, riddled with anxiety. And it’s not just jaded; he’s afraid, and with good reason. A teenage boy once broke his nose in class, after being given an F for an essay. After being effectively barred by his superiors from taking legal action for fear of bad press and counter-action from the boy’s family, it’s little surprise that Anderson is left a shadow of himself. But then one fateful night, when keeping his daughter late on detention, the mostly empty school comes under attack. The attackers seem at first to be ordinary teenagers in hooded sweatshirts, but quickly reveal themselves to be extraordinarily strong, agile, and lethal. A broken man Anderson may be, but he’ll be forced to pull himself together if he intends to escape alive with his daughter.
This looks likely to be one of the most talked-about films of Frightfest 2010. It’s another British hoodie-horror but, as Johannes Roberts was eager to emphasise in his introduction and the post-screening Q&A, this is not just Eden Lake all over again. Still, it is difficult not to compare the two films; and in a strange way, F is at once both more fantastical and more close to the bone than Eden Lake is. It’s more distanced from reality, as here the hoodie hooligans are literally a faceless, nameless, silent enemy; much in the Michael Myers mold of yore, they are simply Shapes, and they are simply evil. They might be human, they might be supernatural; it is of no real consequence. Roberts cites Assault on Precinct 13 as a major influence, going so far as to call his film “a remake of sorts,” and indeed there are clear echoes of John Carpenter’s classic sophomore film. (Mr. Anderson = Anderson Precinct, perhaps?)
And yet, F is also rooted in harsh realities. The troubles faced by teachers have been prevalent in the British media in recent years, with vast numbers being diagnosed with severe depression, a particularly disturbing recent story being that of a teacher who almost murdered a pupil having been literally driven mad. F knowingly evokes this, and it is to the film’s immense credit that it has an actor like David Schofield – or, as he’s also known, “ooh look, one of those blokes from the pub in American Werewolf In London” – to portray a teacher approaching a similar breaking point. Radiating exhaustion, disillusion and insecurity, Schofield’s performance is absolutely terrific, and the film’s overall strength is in no small part thanks to him.
Even so, F is certainly not without its problems. The realism of the initial set-up sits a little awkwardly with the more stereotypical slasher movie elements: the comic relief security guard, the sexy young female teacher in skimpy gym clothes. Also, some viewers may be turned off by the mystery of who or what the antagonists really are, a feeling likely to be exacerbated by the way it comes to end. Still, there’s no debating that F is an atmospheric, distinctive, and at times truly quite shocking film, with the empty-school-by-night setting utilised to very eerie effect, and some graphic images harsh enough to make even the most hardened gorehounds sit up and take notice. No, it’s not the first British horror movie to deal with the country’s fear of its own young, and nor will it be the last; but it’s certainly a notable addition to that growing subgenre of our time. And just because it would be impossible to end this without the obvious pun – no F for F. It’s a solid B+.
