There have been many twisted works of genius produced by British comedy over the years. The Monty Python crew, Peter Sellers, Dudley Moore and Peter Cook, Chris Morris, Steve Coogan and a host of others have pushed boundaries and reinvented and revitalised the genre. Steve Oram will be familiar to some for his starring role in Sightseers, but for his directorial début, Aaaaaaaah!, he pushes the boundaries to new levels.
Set in a world in which humans ape the behaviour of primates, there is no dialogue in Aaaaaaaah! other than differing vocalisations of the title. In the same vein as The Tribe, the cast’s body language makes their feelings patently clear. Steve Oram strolls into town, an Alpha male with Tom Meeten as his subservient. He sets his sights on a troop dominated by Julian Rhind-Tutt after being attracted by Lucy Honigman at a party.
Describing Aaaaaaaah! is an almost impossible task. Oram places his cast in human situations but with ape-like reactions. It’s grand satire on the scale of The Discreet Charm of the Bourgeoisie or Dogtooth whilst at the same time being distinctly British. Aaaaaaaah! is a modern cult classic in the making. There are sites to be seen which you will not have witnessed on film before and the image of Julian Barratt lovingly caressing a Battenberg will never leave me.
Aaaaaaaah! Is released by Frightfest Presents and available to download from October 19.
