Low-budget but relatively hefty in impact, this Scottish thriller revolves around three adult brothers and their father who go on a hunting trip none of them will forget. If you’re deeply spoiler adverse, stop reading now because the opening twist is pretty nifty; for those who wish to know a little more, here goes. Minutes into the film we work out that Don (Paul Higgins), the patriarch of the family, is an abusive bully who constantly belittles and humiliates his three boys, especially when they fail to prove their manliness by shooting defenceless forest animals. Middle son John (Brian Vernel) seems to crack and turns the rifle on Don, who promptly mocks him further, goading John to pull the trigger. Instead, eldest son Henry (Daniel Portman, good ol’ Podrick from Game of Thrones) shoots Don instead as the youngest, Vince (Calum Ross), Don’s favourite looks on.
Through flashbacks and dialogue we learn that the brothers have been planning this patricide to avenge their late mother Kate (Anita Vettesse), whom Don pushed down the stairs and killed after years of abuse. Indeed, the scene where Don forces Kate to eat an unpeeled boiled egg is wrenching thanks to the intense performances, and it perfectly captures the petty cruelty of many violent husbands. But back in the woods, after the guys bury Don, they realise they need something on the body, but when they return to the scene of the crime it has somehow disappeared. After freaky skulls and fetish objects start appearing on the trees, you might start to wonder if there is a supernatural element at play here.
The suspense-building and denouement are adequate enough, but what makes this more interesting is how director Rodger Griffiths weaves in a subtle dissection of how abuse can damage families in different ways. Each of the brothers has a slightly different relationship to their cruel father, ranging from Henry’s identification with Kate and thirst for justice, to Vince’s tendency to support this abuser out of a desperate craving for love. Consequently, the anger permanently locked up in each of them spills out in different ways as the events unfold, and there’s an admirable honesty about the last five minutes.
• Kill is in UK cinemas from 13 September.
