The Hide (2008)

Excellent, Without a doubt!!

It's a movie as timely as it is provocative and amazingly, for much of its running time, it is weirdly funny.

A great movie, one of the best of this year. There was a bit of confusion at one point in the plot, but nothing serious.

One of the worst ways to make a cult movie is to set out to make a cult movie.

what i was immediately reminded of when watching this excellent film,was iain banks the wasp factory.not just the bleak windswept location, but the calm but psychotic protagonist.a film about birdwatching shouldn't have you gripped from start to finnish.this certainly does,its best to go in blind for this one,so i wont say too much of what transpires.that way the viewer sees a calm almost nerdish twitcher with something totally unsettling about him.set entirely in one locale, this film shouldn't work but i think its one of the best thrillers,of the last few years.the dark secrets that lurk inside all of us even the most seemingly normal people are revealed .this film will stick with you long after its over and if your like me a repeat viewing is a must .funny disturbing and at just over an hour doesn't overstay its welcome.excellent.

Saw this film on Filmfour one night and thought it was so good. It's got a really nice set up - a middle aged man with borderline OCD, who is waiting to see the last bird on his list. He is articulate and polite. He is joined by a rough, inner city northern guy, who looks a little banged up and dangerous. From here on is a tense game of back and forth with the power shifting between the two men as more layers are peeled away and they learn more about each other. The two actors command attention and are very engaging throughout. Marek Losey has delivered a tight, well paced and taught thriller which uses it's claustrophobic environment well to create a nervous watch.

Sorry to disagree with Mr Hitchcock, but this film gets twitchers spot on: like him I am a birdwatcher, and I have lost count of the number of them who, like Roy Tunt, claim 'I am not a twitcher: I am an ornithologist'. Just spend a day in a hide on the Somerset levels and you will see what I mean. Of course there are inaccuracies in the film - for example, no serious birdwatcher would go to the location where the film is set without a telescope, but that is beside the point: the film is about an obsessional man, and birdwatchers are a pretty obsessional bunch. Several years ago I was in a hide on the levels on a very cold Boxing Day afternoon: an elderly couple came in and during the course of a lively conversation informed us that a well known local birder had spent the whole of the previous day in the hide - despite have two children under the age of five. One can imagine Mr Tunt doing the same. To get back to the film, after the showing at the Bath Film Festival one of the producers did a Q&A, much of which revolved around why it can't get distribution: incredible really, especially when compared to a film like Cold Souls, also at the festival, which has a negligible plot. The film was apparently shot in 11 days, 5 days on location, 6 at Pinetree: the hide was bought for £100 from a Lincolnshire farmer, who couldn't believe his luck ! If anyone is wondering why the actor who plays David hasn't done any work for a few years, tragically his brother was murdered 4 years ago. No-one will be surprised to hear that a huge amount of effort went into the lighting, which perfectly captures the progress of a dank day from dawn to dusk. See it if you can, this is a gem.

I was not sure what to expect but I really enjoyed it, and it kept my attention throughout, despite the late hour. The writing was excellent, both actors were terrific and the film was beautifully shot. The film is full of tension without descending into cheap shocks. I would say it is less 'Pinteresque' (as one reviewer said) than Sam Shepherdesque... as you carry on thinking about the characters and the things you learn about them long after the film is over. The scenes of the lonely marshland and the distant birds are very atmospheric, too. I hope it gets the success it deserves! It's great to see a British film, and I presume a low-budget one, with such promise.