The Horror Show
The Lesson
by Ruth Platt
There is something about English cinema that intrigues me, especially horror. I love everything from the classics of Hammer and the anthologies of Amicus Productions, to the modern gems like Shaun of the Dead or Cockneys versus Zombies.
The Lesson is very, very, British. It's about two juvenile delinquents or “chavs,” in Brit slang, that are two of the worst examples of the human race to have ever existed. They're obnoxious, raunchy, and destructive. They're disrespectful to authority, they're abusive to their teachers, basically these are the kind of teenagers that make you double up your birth control, just in case. Eventually, they get what's coming to them when a teacher snaps and decides to take revenge.
The first third of The Lesson was all character development. It has the feel of an indie coming-of-age film, kind of like Welcome to the Dollhouse, but British. You learn backstory of the main chav, Fin, a troubled lad with a troubled past. His parents are divorced, his father is absent, and he lives with his brother and his brother's girlfriend, Mia. His brother is a jerk and Fin has the hots for Mia. We don't get any backstory on the other chav, Joel. Poor Joel.
The middle of The Lesson has an abrupt change in tone. It turns into a torture porn with a bonus English lesson when a teacher that Fin and Joel abuse repeatedly, Mr. Gale, kidnaps them. He decides that Fin and Joel need a little one on one time and some special, painful motivation. Mr. Gale is one of the most sympathetic villains I have seen. You know what he is doing is so wrong. It is wrong and horrifying. Yet, Fin and Joel are horrible characters. Let's be honest, they kind of deserve it.
The last part of The Lesson turns into a weird love story. I kid you not. I won't go into deep detail to avoid spoilers, just take my word for it, it ends with a love story. The funny thing is I usually hate it when my horror movie goes all lovey-dovey. This actually fits and I don't think the end would have been as satisfying if things were different.
Like I said, this is a very British movie. Eddie Izzard has a bit in Dressed to Kill about how British movie aren't “popcorn” movies; they're not exciting. The first bit of The Lesson was so British I started drinking Earl Grey. Usually when movies are scattered I lose all interest. The Lesson is organized chaos that's entertaining and oddly satisfying. I would suggest this to anyone who enjoys the feel of English cinema, lots of gore, and wacky love stories. It's proper fun!
Robin Thompson, HMS
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