Savage House
A husband and wife (Richard E. Grant, Claire Foy) who have swindled their way into the aristocracy receive notice from the Duke of Devonshire that he will be coming for dinner. They almost ruin themselves in desperately trying to prepare for the event.
It’s rare that a film commits so wholly to its premise; that this disgusting couple with their disgusting habits only get worse and worse. When faced with a glimpse of fame and financial security, they start doing anything they can to raise money and immediately waste it on keeping up appearances. It’s hilarious, gut-wrenching and bleak.
Glanz borrows from The Favourite1 in depicting the grim reality of living in a stately home, but in this case without any money and running completely on fumes. It’s not quite as impactful as The Favourite but it is suitably visceral, often hard to watch, and has a similarly pitch black sense of humour.
The film really leans hard on its excellent lead performances. Richard E. Grant and Claire Foy really know how to commit to their parts with a complete lack of inhibition.
When your screenplay is just a steady downwards spiral with no glimmer of hope or redemption, it’s sometimes hard to know when to stop. I think I would have been more brutal and shaved 20 minutes off its run time. At some point, and I’m sure it’s different for everyone, this just gets too gruelling and miserable and one begins to wonder why they are watching.
It is very much worth watching though. In a way it’s a one-off, and I really admire how doggedly it stuck to its awful portrayal of degeneracy and disease. A funny, gross, weird film worth catching at the cinema if you can.