• Release year: 2024
• Director: Christopher Presswell.
• Producers: Christopher Presswell.
• Screenplay by: Forgács W. András and Christopher Presswell.
• Music by: Jonathan Armandary.

Shotgun Commentary: highlight on bureaucracy and how it affects the most vulnerable. Thought-provoking and fun.

Review

The Whip follows the story of how Sadie Baxter (Shian Denovan), carer of her sister, is pushed into plotting a heist at the Parliament to stop a bill that will destroy welfare such as it is from passing. In order to bring her plans to fruition, she recruits a small group of like-minded people to help.

The right heist

The Whip is a heist film unlike any other. While it has the classic moral grounds, these aren’t used to justify stealing money, but rather to steal information. In a way, the team of unlikely bandits aren’t so much stealing something but freeing a truth that has been kidnapped for blackmailing purposes.

The feature seems to know that the corruption in the political sphere is nothing new, it has been talked about a million times in a million different ways, thus, while it is the catalyst of the film, it doesn’t have much screen time or mentions at all.

This lack of direct emphasis in the injustice and duplicity of politicians is a refreshing change. Everybody knows that mandataries of any kind are not to be trusted by default, and that “the rebellion of the little folk” is a very effective tool to make audiences cry or get emotional. Sharing a narrative about common people going against the government without falling into these overused plot lines and emotional traps is an uncommon feat, which makes this movie really special.

Relevance

The avoidance of useless sentimentalism should not be confused with lack of substance. Sticking to reality as much as possible, the narration doesn’t shy away from the all-too-known nonsensical procedures of bureaucracy, the hardships of being a full-time carer, and the ridiculously outdated technology systems of organisms that are supposed to be protected, amongst others. The ironic comedy and frustrating situations that the main character faces are but a reflexion of universal moments in everyone’s life. While a lot of us are lucky enough to have a good physical condition and be surrounded by healthy loved ones, these two moments are constant in everyone’s life. Due to this, the story is incredibly easy to empathise with.

You and I

The characters are superbly written, ensure a strong connection with their audience. They are not perfect nor clichéd, in fact, they are just like anyone you might meet on the street, completely normal and extraordinarily singular at the same time. That is the second big win of this film, all the characters mimic regular behaviour instead of being the usual “normal but weirdly cinematic” sort of people.

As for the cast, it is perfect both in physical appearance and performance. European cinema is excellent at that, bringing the narratives even closer to their audience by channelling them through realistic looking people. Of course, appearance is nothing without talent. Thankfully, the actors involved in this feature embody their characters wonderfully, bringing them to life with almost no exaggeration. Some moments feel a bit off, but it feels like it is mostly a sound editing issue rather than an acting one.

All in all, The Whip is a well-constructed movie with an engaging story and charming characters. It will keep you entertained and provide you with a very satisfying watching experience.

Thanks to Workbus Ltd. for the early press screener!

Advice to take from this movie:

• Good-old initial credits sequences are underrated.
• It’s never too late to sucker punch a d*ck.
• Bureaucracy only serves to stall your actions when the Government doesn’t want to give you something.

What’s your take? Have you watched The Whip? What’s your favourite heist film?

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