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In studying a film such as Sightseers, we are considering a film that’s regarded as a contemporary ‘classic’, and perhaps even a ‘cult’ film. There are a wealth of ideas to engage with in the discourse about the film. Discourse refers to the conversations and debates around the film, or any particular subject, and the perspectives of such conversations can engage us in a range of valuable ideas.
Sightseers offers up a rich experience for us as viewers of film and as students with an interest in thinking our way around a film and how it affects our thoughts and our feelings and how we bring certain kinds of interest to a film because of what ‘meanings’ it creates in our responses. As a film viewer, we can bring recognise various kinds of significance, relevance and resonance they may be present in a film and these qualities and points of interest can be very separate (and, indeed, different) to whatever it might be that its ‘author’ intends.
Context of production
Sightseers was directed by Ben Wheatley and is one of a number of films that now comprise his filmography. When Wheatley made Sightseers he had just begun to emerge as a British filmmaker of note; very much working within genre cinema.
- Sightseers was developed into a feature film in a slightly unconventional way. The film’s two lead actors,…
