Downhill is a great independent British comedy about four old friends who attempt to travel Wainright’s coast-to-coast walk from St Bees in Cumbria to Robin Hoods Bay in North Yorkshire. As the tagline says What could possibly go wrong?’
From my point of view, not a lot. This is an engrossing, well-structured and hilariously honest film which I hope reaches a wide audience when released.
Gordon (Lumsden) is an independent cameraman who, along with best friend Keith (Thoebald), decides to take the trip whilst being documented by film student Kevin. They are joined by old school friends Steve (Swift) and debonair Julian (Dennehy). Over the course of their journey we experience the highs and lows of their friendships, and are led to believe that this trip may be their final victory before their much hinted at midlife crisis.
As expected we see the problems men in their late 40s have: marriage, looking back, regrets, a foreboding sense that they are literally going downhill. But unlike say The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel (2011) or Quartet (2012) this is a lot less romantic but instead honest, and as such more watchable.
First I must begin by discussing how this film is shot. Maybe I missed a bit at the beginning but Kevin, who is doing the filming, is told to be ignored by the gang as Gordon wants to make this a fly-on-the-wall documentary and capture the characters, surroundings and events as naturalistically as possible. The whole film is from Kevin’s point of view and fortunately this style works well. In fact there is a nice establishing shot joke which you wouldn’t get on Top Gear.
I have always felt that this mockumentary style of filmmaking, from The Blair Witch Project (1999) through to Chronicle (2012), can be a gimmick, but when used properly can produce a realistic visage to the fiction on screen. We have unbroken naturalistic shots that can be hilarious one moment and unflinchingly tense the next. Kevin is us (the audience) as the observer and his minimal input adds layers to the events and can be quite touching at times.
As for the characters they are excellently cast and you will have fun guessing what British TV programme you have seen them in. They’re all likeable and we see some genuine chemistry, a lot of silly banter and thankfully they all have their moments and are equally fleshed out.
Gordon is the team leader’, who besides drastically trying to keep the team moving, is struggling with debt and lack of work as a cameraman. He is the more grounded one of the group and as such holds them together. Keith is his best mate who really wanted the trip to be between Gordon and himself as he has a burden he wants to talk about. He is unhappy and his revelation adds a lot of dramatic and comedic weight.
Steve is neurotic and slightly sympathetic but a well-rounded (no pun intended) character. However the standout for both good and bad is Justin, a charismatic gentleman who is a purveyor of life’s pleasures and the source of most of the films laughs. Individually they wouldn’t be able to carry a film but together they are well balanced.
Throughout their journey and lots of pubs, we get a lot of these middle-aged drunk men’s back stories as they talk about girls, regrets, triumphs. We are told to enjoy our youth as opportunities disappear as you get older, and a conversation about their kids has predictable yet pondering result. All this makes the characters and their lives believable and relatable.
As they get a bit too close, the film intentionally becomes a bit uncomfortable to watch, but as I’ve already stated the voyeuristic lens make it near impossible to look away. Speaking of the cinematography, we see some great shots of the northern countryside but unlike Countryfile we it see warts and all (not literally). It doesn’t look cheaply made or as if it was made for TV, and is interspliced with footage of their similar trip in 1976, which is a nice touch.
The use of overlaying soundtrack is very much the same as on documentaries, nicely accompanying the onscreen antics and you will tap your feet to a few nostalgic tunes.
Overall Verdict: Downhill is a great and upbeat tale about life, living, and doing what you set out to do. It’s got heart, and is believable thanks to good acting and great dialogue. Enjoy this voyeuristic look at other people’s lives, joys and strife’s, and laugh along with them.
Reviewer: George Elcombe