The woodland landscape resemblances the mythical forest homeland of Artemis. Palmer’s film is rich with mythological references as the protagonists are being faced with the impossible choice, ‘where deeply held moral principles are in conflict and there is no right decision’ ( Young, 2018, p.109 ). Their complicated friendship constitutes a fascinating ground for building the unsettling psychological tension. Writer-director Matt Palmer sets a disquieting mood from the very beginning by slowly uncovering the complex relationship between Vaughn and Marcus that echoes the one between father and son. Maybe if they read the myth about Artemis, Agamemnon and the killing of the sacred deer they would consider putting the rifle down? Consequently, the next morning the men are definitely not in a fit state to hold a gun. It becomes an active aversion after the lads’ boozy night in the pub, crowned by Marcus taking a girl up to his hotel room. Their destination? An isolated village in Scottish Highland, a place that Marcus used to go with his father.Īs soon as they arrive, they encounter a disturbing resistance by the local people. At the onset of unescapable parenthood, he agrees to go deer hunting with his lifelong friend from boarding school, Marcus (Martin McCann). Vaughn (Jack Lowden) is a regular young man living in an elegant apartment in Glasgow who is expecting his first baby with his partner (Olivia Morgan). Palmer’s debut gloomy thriller opens with an intimate shot of a couple cuddling in bed. Isn’t the whole notion of cinematic spectatorship in danger if we’re not able to experience them in the dark theatre? As there has been vast academic research on the topic, I would like to leave you, dear readers, with this open question before I move on to reviewing the excellent Calibre.
Obviously, it is unavoidable and inescapable, however frightening.
The expansion of the film market by Netflix became more aggressive, with the platform not only producing their original series (normally associated with television) but also releasing an increasing amount of feature films. On the bright side, as Palmer admitted at the Q&A, it opens the film for a much broader audience and it’s beneficial for merchandising and promoting the film. The naturalistic wide shots of the breathtaking dark green and brown landscape of the Scottish Highlands are designed to be enjoyed in theatre. Being a fortunate viewer who watched Calibre in the cinema, I must express my regret that the film now can only be admired in a domestic environment. It was also the last chance for audiences to experience it on the big screen for another 10 years as the film is being released on Netflix. Matt Palmer turned out to be the dark horse of the Edinburgh Film Festival as his debut feature film Calibre (2018) became this year’s winner of the Michael Powell Award for Best British Feature.
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