{"id":1254,"date":"2011-08-17T23:24:27","date_gmt":"2011-08-17T23:24:27","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/?p=1254"},"modified":"2011-08-17T23:24:27","modified_gmt":"2011-08-17T23:24:27","slug":"eiff-a-spanking-in-paradise","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/filmgaze.com\/blog\/comedy\/eiff-a-spanking-in-paradise\/","title":{"rendered":"EIFF: A Spanking In Paradise ****"},"content":{"rendered":"

\"\"<\/a>If the title doesn\u2019t get you first, the promise of \u2018a comedy set in a brothel\u2019 ought to. Think \u2018Scottish Four Lions<\/em><\/a>\u2019 for deadpan underdog calamities, and you get the idea. Writer-director Wayne Thallon<\/a>\u2019s 2011 Edinburgh Film Festival closer, A Spanking In Paradise<\/em><\/a>, is a spankin’, swind screamer of pure shant lunacy, right from the grubby black heart of Edinburgh\u2019s underworld.<\/p>\n

Na\u00efve, young lawyer Justin (Andrew Hawley<\/a>) has one month to wait for his US visa, and decides to spend it visiting long-lost family in Edinburgh. His charismatic Uncle Rab (Simon Weir<\/a>) is a hard-nosed brothel owner who loves his Mum, but has a rep to protect, and sets about having his nephew working on the reception and doing thankless errands. Justin soon finds that the job is more purgatory than paradise, as he comes in contact with a whole number of dubious characters \u2013 but can he keep out of trouble in the meantime?<\/p>\n

The opener plays out like a scene from a play, where we witness Justin getting his (rather ridiculous) US Embassy grilling, in order to on reflect the sweet irony of the promises made at a later stage in the story. But it\u2019s Weir as storytelling Rab who dominates the screen of misfits, a tonic of profanity as a Mummy\u2019s Boy gangsta. Rab is nasty and nice, a Jekyll and Hyde character who plays by his own set of rules in a closed-doors society to get the job done.<\/p>\n

Weir is utterly engaging, whether as Rab, he’s ranting or charming the hind legs of a donkey, an anti-patriarch that all the other characters look to and react to when on screen. But it\u2019s also events completely out of his hands, like the famous curry scene, that provide the biggest laugh-out-loud moments. As in Four Lions, everything each character does is done with absolute conviction, but the uncontrolled results are not only cause for sheer side-splitting delight for the audience, but further emphasise the complete farce and disjointed logic that some of the characters live by.<\/p>\n

This is a contemporary \u2018comedy of errors\u2019 laced with poignant and troubling scenes that bring a sobering element of realism to what you are watching, and without the happy resolution for all. Far from make light of the world of prostitution, Thallon mocks those in charge of it, hence we can laugh heartedly at Rab\u2019s misguided antics, through the innocent experiences of Justin\u2019s time with the crew. The reality check comes with the addition of sadistic character Leo \u2013 sinisterly and convincingly played by Leo Horsfield<\/a> \u2013 who has his own heavy-handed ways of managing the talent (the girls), and is more of the kind of seedy caricature we\u2019d expect.<\/p>\n

This is also a class-crossing piece of comedy genius from Thallon, particularly considering the class-conscious echelons of Edinburgh society, including \u2018corrupted counsel\u2019 in the whipping chamber. It seems every walk of life comes under scrutiny, good and bad from each end of the spectrum, registering with a wide range of potential viewers. Ironically, with recent rioting events, amicable-looking Hawley as Justin demonstrates the power of peer pressure, even though he knows right from wrong and tries to get a grip on events.<\/p>\n

Thallon\u2019s A Spanking In Paradise<\/em> is a dark gem of perverse hilarity driven by some strong characters like Weir as Rab that give the story its unique stubborn and foolhardy life and soul.<\/p>\n

4\/5 stars<\/strong><\/p>\n

By @FilmGazer<\/p>\n

Follow on Twitter<\/a><\/p>\n

WATCH THE TRAILER HERE<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

If the title doesn\u2019t get you first, the promise of \u2018a comedy set in a brothel\u2019 ought to. Think \u2018Scottish Four Lions\u2019 for deadpan underdog calamities, and you get the idea. Writer-director Wayne Thallon\u2019s 2011 Edinburgh Film Festival closer, A Spanking In Paradise, is a spankin’, swind screamer of pure shant lunacy, right from the … <\/p>\n

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