Why You Should See “Tyrannosaur”, Why It Should Win Oscars
November 27, 2011 in Cinema
There is a strain of British cinema that's the polar opposite of the usual Oscar-bait costume drama you normally see trailed everywhere. Some call it "miserablist", and it usually involves a portrayal of often alcohol-fuelled violence, the "working class", multiple cups of tea, then some more violence. Then some more tea. Calling it "miserablist" is painting a whole host of independent cinema in broad strokes, much in the same way I just did with the eponymous "costume drama", but everyone needs a sound-bite length description of everything these days, much in the same way we need a "like" button to show agreement or pleasure. The phrase "miserablist cinema" doesn't carry much weight with me – it's too short-hand, too glib and does a disservice to the actual content. I prefer "realist". And it doesn't get more real than Tyrannosaur.
