19/11/2009

An 80-year-man talks to someone in close-up: “More than anything, we need courage to make decisions we’ve put off for a long, long time”. Thus begins the feature debut (after numerous shorts and commercials) of British director Paul Cotter, Bomber [+see also:
trailer
film profile], screening out of competition (now called the Festa Mobile sidebar) at the Turin Film Festival.

Actually, Alistar (Benjamin Whitrow) has only decided to cancel his daily newspaper subscription, and the opening scene, which plays off the contrast between the “gravity” of his decision and the indifference of those around him, already belies most of the sense (and humour) of this family road movie. The elderly man, a former RAF pilot grappling with his remorse over having bombed a German village, has finally decided to face his guilt and go ask forgiveness of the guiltless victims.

He’s accompanied by his son Ross (Shane Taylor), torn between his parents who consider him a failure and his girlfriend who’s angry over his departure; and his wife Valerie (Eileen Nicholas, Ewan McGregor’s mother in Trainspotting). Enough to make the trip – which will be long because “the country roads are prettier than the highways, plus at 90 km/h you don’t waste too much petrol” – a typically British family “nightmare”, made up of various situations played by actors (especially the elderly parents) who are, as always, priceless.

Cotter was inspired in part by his own parents (especially the pilot father) and makes full use of the tradition of British humour: “Sarcasm as a way to face life’s difficulties is deeply rooted in our culture,” he says. He would next like to shoot a cop drama set in 1940s America.

Ultimately, while Bomber may not be entirely originally, it is solidly entertaining and makes great use of its limited budget (€29,000, produced by Boris Films), thanks also to DoP Rick Siegel.

(Translated from Italian)