Faintheart
England. Land of the eccentric.
Google the phrase and you’ll find several fond articles and even a couple of books on the subject. Despite its reputation for reserve and stiff upper lips, England is quietly proud of its nutters.
Faintheart is a sweet, low-key British comedy that champions the nutter in us all, the common man, the geek and the underdog.
When mousey hardware store lackey and overgrown kid Richard (Eddie Marsan) leaves work, he becomes Norse warrior Readmund the Just, and lives for his next battle re-enactment with his club, The Bloody Broadswords. His mate Collin wears his tunic and helmet on his rubbish rounds and practises his battle cry in the street. Fellow club member Julian, also a devout Trekkie, lives at home with his mum, who washes his chainmail while he searches for love online.
When Richard turns up late for his father-in-law’s funeral in full battle dress, his long-suffering wife Cath (Jessica Hynes) finally tells him to grow up and banishes him. Richard embarks on a quest to find his inner warrior and win back his fair maiden—complicated when she starts dating their son’s greasy PE teacher.
There’s nothing sophisticated about the plot, the script or the comedy, but it’s likeable, lighthearted fare with some great moments. Julian’s Klingon bedroom scene is comic, and had my own Trekkie husband cackling out loud.
Part of the reason it’s watchable is because Eddie Marsan is an excellent and slightly unusual character actor capable of surprising expression and edge—anyone who’s seen his driving instructor portrayal in Happy-Go-Lucky knows how unsettling he can be. Marsan is chalking up a fine list of performances on both sides of the Atlantic, and though he’s seriously under-challenged here, his performance is one reason Faintheart holds together.
Most interesting, perhaps, is how the film came to exist. It was partly developed by users of the social networking website MySpace as part of a competition intended to “harness the collective creative power of the world’s leading online community”. MySpace members chose the director, made contributions to the soundtrack and script, and some were even cast in the film.
Despite the potential pool of talent and its novel inception, critics have panned Faintheart for its “awkwardness”, lack of invention and lost comic opportunities. Indeed, something doesn’t quite gel, but it’s cheerful viewing with wide appeal, good to watch with your mates, partner or family—particularly if you like British movies.
Frankly, as a nerdy girl I’m happy that movies and TV are changing to celebrate the eccentrics, geniuses, techies and swots. Thanks, Lisa Simpson, you were a trendsetter.
“What nerds crave above all else is order, ‘a heavily rule-bound universe’,” says author Benjamin Nugent in the entertaining American Nerd: The Story of My People. This explains obsessions with computer gaming, the sciences, science fiction, and historical feudal and court societies—all hierarchical and/or defined by set rules. In our complex world where social expectations can be hidden, inconsistent and confusing, these realms provide refuges with clear co-ordinates for navigation.
There’s a whole raft of shows worldwide aimed at the geek demographic (The X Files, Numb3rs, Mythbusters, Australia’s Planet Nerd), and there’s some seriously clever comedy being created (like my favourite, The Big Bang Theory). Faintheart may not be right up there, but it’s a valiant foot soldier supporting the front-line battle for cultural acceptance.
Let’s face it, we need our nutters. Life would be duller (and stupider) without them.
Maria Polglase
