This Is Not a Love Song (2002)
Heaton and Spike are the unlikeliest pair: two loners who have found each other. When Spike commits a terrible crime, Heaton decides to stand by him - an act of astonishing, almost foolhardy loyalty. There begins a chase across a vast Northern landscape of moors, rivers and dark woods, the increasingly exhausted fugitives being hunted not by the police but by a posse of farmers intent on revenge. No ordinary chase film, This Is Not a Love Song is a love story trapped inside the body of a thriller.
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watching this film for the first time, I couldn't make my mind up if i liked it or hated it. I thought that the film was slow and difficult to understand, as I was constantly trying to work out the relationship between Spike and Heaton. The story line was also quite boring and weird, despite my negative comments, I thought that the film was really touching when we realise in the end that Heaton has buried feelings for his close friend. we also feel sympathy for Heaton as we understand that he feels betrayed by Spike, this also makes us realise that in fact Heaton is the weaker character in the relationship. The ending of the film is weird yet clever, as it leaves you wondering whether Heaton is actually alive or not, which adds to the effect of confusion and sadness.
Let's be honest, this movie was not very good. Yes, it was incredibly well shot and yes, there were strokes of genius such as the scene where the girl gets shot and the diary sequences. However, that does not make up for a very unoriginal story, unbelievable costume and props, atrocious sound, and one of the worst acting jobs I have ever seen (the guy who plays Spike).I saw this on a plane, and in the first few scenes, I thought it had the potential to be great. But boy, the more I watched, the more I thought it was bad.
I managed to go and see this film at a local university cinema, and I took my mother (not the worlds greatest film connoisseur!) to see it. Result? We both loved it. I appreciated the narrative, disturbing ending and experimental camera work. My mum loved the characters and loved making the links for herself. It was a heavy weight to carry for such a small cast and such a small location, but it didn't need the fancy thrills and special effects of Hollywood. This film stood up entirely on it's own as an entertaining and gripping piece, with a title I adored. After all, that was the reason I wanted to see it (not that I'm superficial)
A suspenseful thriller that bears some resemblance to Deliverance as for scenery and setting. There are also some very innovatively shot scenes and good music, although the daftness and sometimes seemingly careless attitude of one of the characters is unfitting to the situation, although this is not a mayor problem. It also poses interesting questions about justness of revenge and limits of friendship.