Aaaaaaaah! Digital Review

Director: Steve Oram

Cast: Toyah Wilcox, Noel Fielding

Certificate: 18

Running Time: 79 minutes

First things first, Aaaaaaaah! isn’t your usual film. This isn’t a film that just anyone will be able to pick up and enjoy, rather it should be watched only by those that have a real passion for films and an open mind. Straying away from all narrative conventions director Steve Oram taps into the radically experimental side of film-making, producing a true love it or hate it movie.

The premise of Aaaaaaaah! is to showcase just how little we have evolved from our primate beginnings. The film illustrates this by telling the ‘story’ of a modern day world where everyone acts and sounds like chimps, apes and gorillas. Be warned – there are no actual human words spoken during the entire film, instead characters communicate through hand gestures, chest pumping and monkey noises. It’s a confusing and alienating watch but you can (just about) work out what happening if you concentrate.

Aaaaaaaah! does at least answer the question, what ever happened to Toyah Wilcox? She stars as the matriarchal figure of the film, a rather pathetic one too. There’s one sequence where the male characters just throw food at her. The other familiar face is comedian Noel Fielding, he’s known for his quirky comedy, but this might be a step too far.

Personally this writer fell solidly into the ‘don’t like it’ category, I found it a little too crass (people defecate all over the floor for example) and vulgar (such as a photograph of Prince Harry receives a special ‘gift’)  for my tastes. I understand that the film was trying to make a bold statement about society etc. but no matter how hard I tried, I couldn’t get on with it. Call me old fashioned but I like a good narrative in my films and I found Aaaaaaaah!‘s to be just too ‘out there’.

Casual film-watchers should give this film a wide berth. However, if you’re a hardcore cinephile then give Aaaaaaaah! a go, but be warned it won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.

Experience Aaaaaaaah! on digital download when it arrives at Frightfest Presents on 19th October.