Why we love… director Ben Wheatley
We take a look at the director's exciting and varied filmography and DCA staff share some of their favourites
Ahead of our Q&A screening of Bulk with Ben Wheatley, we take a look at some of our favourites from his back catalogue.
We are very much looking forward to welcoming director Ben Wheatley to DCA for a Dundead screening of his new film Bulk on Mon 19 January. Our screening of this new mind-bending sci-fi film will be followed by an in person Q&A as part of the director's Bulk: The Narrative is Tyranny tour. Come along to put your questions to the man himself - you might even get a fanzine in return.
From psychological horror and dark comedy to star-studded action and literary adaptations, Wheatley's career has covered many genres and budgets. Here delve into his back catalogue and share some staff favourites from his career so far.
Published
Ben Wheatley is one of contemporary British cinema’s most distinctive and idiosyncratic voices. Films like Kill List and A Field in England are thrilling and incisive and really push at the boundaries of genre in fascinating ways. We can’t wait to welcome Ben to DCA for a special screening of his new film Bulk, followed by an in-person Q&A discussion.Michael Coull Dundead Programmer
Down Terrace
Wheatley's first feature was shot on a micro-budget in just eight days. Mixing crime drama and dark humour with social realism, Down Terrace tells the story of a criminal family trying to find the police informant in their mix. The film put Wheatley firmly on the map as one to watch.
Kill List
The director's second feature, Kill List, featured elements of a crime story, with Neil Maskell playing a hitman who agrees to take on a new job, but it veers sharply into horror territory with its surprising twist. It went down well with critics and audiences alike, with Variety saying it's "an artful, sensitively acted thriller several cuts above its midbudget horror brethren" and Little White Lies calling it a "future classic".
Not long after we first met, my partner suggested we watch one of his favourite films: Kill List. I still don’t think I’ve recovered. It was the deep sense of foreboding that unfolds throughout the film, combined with the increasing horror, then the violent and unforgettable climax, that really made for a special evening together.Beth Bate on Kill List DCA Director
Sightseers
Written by stars Alice Lowe and Steve Oram, Wheatley's third feature was a dark comedy about an unorthodox couple who go on a caravanning killing spree. Again the critics were on board, with Empire saying it was a "uniquely British blend of excruciating comedy of embarrassment and outright grue, not quite as disorientating in its mood shifts as Kill List, but just as impressive a film" and it was a big hit with audiences here at DCA. It also showed at Cannes Film Festival and took home the Palm Dog Award for its canine performance of Banjo/Poppy.
A Field in England
For his fourth feature, Wheatley shot in black and white for historical horror A Field in England. Set during the English Civil War, a group of deserters are captured by an alchemist with sinister motives. Supported by Film4, it was one of the first British films to be released on across multiple platforms on the same day - obviously we think on the big screen in DCA Cinema was the best place to see it.
The style, the awkwardness, the pencil museum! Sightseers is the perfect mix of humour and mayhem for me, wonderfully capturing the absurdity of a British caravan holiday gone very, very wrong.Helen Macdonald on Sightseers Communications Officer
I really enjoyed watching A Field in England here at DCA; while there is plenty of gallows humour and general psychedelic oddness in the film there is also a moment which is just so uncannily haunting I can still recall it vividly. It is a great example of a director being in full control of an audience.Micheal Coull on A Field in England Dundead Programmer
High-Rise
Adapted from JG Ballard’s subversive dystopian novel, High-Rise saw Wheatley helm his biggest production yet, with a star-studded cast that included Tom Hiddleston, Jeremy Irons, Sienna Miller, Luke Evans and Elisabeth Moss. On the subject of taking the story from page to screen Wheatley said in an interview with BFI: "I think that the issue that people had with the book in terms of adapting it was that they thought it was futuristic and that it was projecting into the future. But the future Ballard was projecting was forward of 1975 and we have lived into that future."
Free Fire
With Free Fire, Wheatley upped the action and the star power even further. This classic tale of a drug deal gone wrong starred Wheatley regular Michael Smiley alongside Cillian Murphy, Sharlto Copley, Armie Hammer and Brie Larson and was an adrenaline fuelled rollercoaster infused with Wheatley's trademark dark humour.
I attended a Q&A with Ben Wheatley after a screening of his thrilling Free Fire nearly a decade ago and loved the way he talked about the technical side of his filmmaking process. I can’t wait to hear him talk about his latest film Bulk at our Dundead screening.David Nixon on Free Fire DCA Head of Cinema
Rebecca
In another book to screen adaptation, Wheatley paired with Netflix for a stylish take on Daphne du Maurier's gothic romance Rebecca. Starring Lily James and Armie Hammer, the film was released in 2020 and made it to our screens for a short time before heading to the streaming platform.
In the Earth
While Rebecca was released during the Covid-19 pandemic, In the Earth was made during it. The film follows two scientist assigned to a remote forest outpost during an unspecified pandemic. Shot in 15 days, it saw Wheatley return to his filmmaking roots of working fast with a smaller budget and a small cast. The result is an eerie film that mixes horror, sci-fi and the supernatural.
I have a soft spot for Wheatley's Rebecca – lavish and beautifully-costumed with a brilliantly unhinged turn from Kristin Scott Thomas, it was a dark and dreamy escape from those long lockdown days.Jenny Phin on Rebecca Communications Officer
Meg 2: The Trench
In a surprise move (or not such a surprise when you look at his filmography), Wheatley's next film was big studio spectacle Meg 2: The Trench. "I’m a big fan of monster movies and wanted to do something big, poppy, bright, and fun.I think I’ve basically covered the bases of depressing and scary and wanted to colour in the other part of the colouring book, as it were." Wheatley said in an interview.
Bulk
And now Wheatley is back with micro-budget sci-fi Bulk, which sees him take a much more experimental and DIY approach to filmmaking. Shot in secret with a small cast, his newest feature approaches sci-fi in the tradition of Quatermass, Alphaville and Primer, while also celebrating the art of film writing and making.
It’s a love letter to film and creativity but also to technology and allusion – a way to make the budgetary constraints make narrative sense for the film. I'm also working with cast members I've worked with before – so it’s a collaboration...Ben Wheatley on Bulk
It's safe to say that whatever the budget or genre, we love seeing how Wheatley approaches every project he comes to. If you have a burning question about his filmography or his style of filmmaking, bring it along to our Q&A screening of Bulk - we look forward to seeing you there!
Ben Wheatley has such a unique sensibility as a filmmaker and is a master of Q&A conversations, be prepared to unwrap you own thoughts as well as gleaning what snippets the director might reveal.Simon Lewis Cinema Manager