British writer-director Ben Wheatley's reputation has been rising fast in art house and horror circles. In 2011, his gritty thriller Kill List won rave reviews out of its world premiere at the South by Southwest Film Festival, and the buzz only grew as it toured fests and snagged theatrical runs in the UK and US. Because of Wheatley's incisive and grim style, many eagerly awaited his follow-up Sightseers . The dark comedy about the deranged exploits of a pair of homicidal caravan enthusiasts made an illustrious premiere at the Cannes Film Fest last year, and finally opened in the US this month, where it was likewise met with much praise.
Surprisingly, his latest effort is seemingly skipping the festival circuit that has served him so well. Instead, A Field in England will be simultaneously released in the United Kingdom in theaters, on VOD, Blu-ray, DVD and Film4 Channel on July 5th. And so Picture House Cinemas is giving us our first look at this mysterious new movie.
Set in England during their 17th century civil war, A Field in England focuses on a band of soldiers who have fled their duties and escaped the battlefield. However, when they attempt to cross the titular plain, they encounter an alchemist who enlists them to join his treasure hunting expedition, which is centered where they stand. Foraging for food, this motley crew feasts on hallucinogenic mushrooms, and soon chaos reigns. Between its twisted premise and Wheatley as its co-writer (alongside Amy Jump) and director, A Field in England seems guaranteed to be unlike any war story we've seen before.
Drafthouse Films has picked up the pic's Stateside distribution rights, so we might see this one in the colonies by year's end.
