Fatigue

I'm a film student currently studying in London and have been researching ultra low budget films that have received a UK release. This film (on DVD) was recommended to me by a friend,

Despite the previous reviews, I was impressed by 'Fatigue'. For sure the script and acting are rough in places but the ambition, style and the pacing of the film is very good and the ending has a very dark payoff that I didn't see coming. This film was obviously shot on 16mm and it's grainy lo-fi feel definitely adds to the mood of the piece.

As a film student hoping to eventually direct features, I was totally intrigued by it's low budget origins and the trials the filmmakers went through to get it finished. Despite it's ultra low budget flaws, it's - well worth a watch.

I can't remember why I chose to hire this movie (probably a review on a fans website), but I must admit it was worth watching purely to see what's going on in the British independent movie scene.

The film is derivative. It's the same story you've seen a thousand times, however, the cinematography and editing is really quite interesting for a low budget movie. The script though is absolutely appalling, Considering the time it took to make the movie Barnes and Faiers really should have concentrated more on the dialogue, what little there is is excruciatingly poor, the kind of rubbish a primary school student would be embarrassed to produce. Maybe what they could take from this movie is the fact that a movie might look good, but a good narrative requires some decent verbal interaction between characters. Has Tarantino taught these guys nothing? With a decent scriptwriter Barnes has the potential to make a decent film. But unfortunately this isn't it.

A undoubtedly gritty watching experience that explores the underlying soul of film making. Fatigue begs to stand the test of time as a leading cultural influence in the underground and independent film industry.

Apparently, this micro-budget (£16,000) crime thriller from Wales took five years to make. The protracted shoot is down to the fact that, despite the minuscule budget – and, boy, you can see the lack of every penny of it up there on the screen – the makers had to halt shooting every time they ran out of money. They also needed three attempts to get the fairground chase scene – which means that scene alone took them three years because the fair only comes to Cardiff once a year.

Filmed on grainy 16mm, the film has a satisfyingly 'gritty' feel to it. The snappy editing and direction by Michael Barnes manage to lift the film above its poverty row origins – only for the acting and script to bring it crashing back down again. It would be unfair to single out any one actor – especially as they are all amateurs for whom this is their debut film – but the kindest thing I can say is that everyone's acting improves immeasurably whenever they close their mouth.

The story is pretty standard for the genre, but does provide an original – and grisly – conclusion for which it should be commended. Perhaps the biggest problem is that there are too many influences evident in both the story and the manner in which it is shot – giving you the feeling that the makers want to be *be* Scorsese or Tarantino rather than to learn from them. That said, I couldn't help admiring the effort that clearly went into the making of the film – the makers obviously didn't allow their tiny budget to prevent them from selecting a large number of locations. It's clear to see that everyone tried hard, probably under difficult circumstances, to make this work and, while they haven't been entirely successful in terms of artistic or creative merit, the mere existence of this film should act as an inspiration to other aspiring but penniless filmmakers to try and kick-start their own projects.