A Crashed Course

Ioriginally thought I was going to see the new arrival “Wicked Little Letters” starring Timothy Spall, Olivia Colman and Jessie Buckley, but I must have read it wrong as It was in Spanish and not English. A British Comedy or any comedy for that matter especially one of this type, has to be in its original language or it loses its punch when translated. Oh well, I will survive, so I looked at what else was on. I will go with the film Northern Comfort“which was released in March 2023. It stars Timothy Spall, again which is hardly surprising as he is one of the best British actors around. In everything I have seen him in, he brings humanity to the most dislikeable characters. In an interview, Spall mentioned that he found this script to be funny, whereas the majority of scripts he receives labelled comedy lack any sort of humour at all.

Film

A group of diverse people suffering from a tormented fear of flying meet up on a course set out to tackle this flightful condition. Part of their therapy included taking a test flight. It appeared that this flight was doomed from the start, with the instructor not showing up and the assistant taking over the operation. Some fearful flyers cancelled at the last minute instead of trying to overcome their flying issues. Those who board get to travel in business class, at least that will make it better. Some of this bunch have a little swig of alcohol or pop a pill to calm them down, which is breaking the rules of fearful flyers. Turbulences during the flight unleash chaos. Due to partial engine failure, they end up stranded in Iceland. The delay could be approximately nine hours, so they are transferred to a luxurious hotel with a spa where they may encounter James Bond. How real is that? Then fate has it that due to a storm they will probably be delayed further. Their demons begin to surface and some lose it... Will they get to go home? Will they find themselves lost in a blizzard?

In Reykjavík, anything could happen...

Opinion

I was not struck by this film. Was it really a comedy? If so, it was thin on laughs. The characters were not believable, making it hard to get into. Perhaps the characters were not developed enough and it was badly cast. Surprised that Spall said it to be funny! It is gentle entertainment and didn't seem to work. Spall is as always superb, even though it wasn't one of his better films. Some of them were just not likeable, and lacked charisma. It was shot in Myvatan, Reykjavík, France and the UK.

The inside of an aeroplane was built up for the turbulence scene, which in real life left the air hostess with a few bruises.

During a period of my life, I had the chance to work as cabin crew and have encountered situations that at times were scary.

A film that can bring to light and raise awareness about a real fear is always worth watching. In the United States alone, more than 25 million adults are affected by aerophobia. Many jobs or visiting family and friends that are scattered around the planet are impacted by this condition. Like most fears, we must face them rather than hide them away. Treatments usually teach us how to cope and gain confidence. They have a high success rate. After all, planes are robust and undergo rigorous checks. They don't just fall out of the sky.

Cast & Crew

Icelandic filmmaker, director, writer Hafsteinn Gunnar Sigurosson, made what he calls an existential comedy. The film is written by Hafsteinn and Halldór Laxness.

The English-language debut of this director enabled him to secure additional funding. He wanted the film to raise awareness of our vulnerabilities. This film was inspired by a family member who suffered from this not so rare condition called aerophobia and received therapy. Hafsteinn, was overwhelmed to direct Spall. That's something that I can well understand.

Timothy Spall is a well-known and loved British actor who started out mostly on stage, here he plays Edward. He was one of Mike Leigh's favourite actors and appeared in six of Leigh's films. I can't tell you his biography because there's not enough space.

Awards... wow, where to begin? The British Academy Film Awards, British Television Award, British Independent Film Award, Cannes Film Fest, Critics Choice Awards, London European Awards, National Board Awards, New York Awards, Satellite Awards, and Screen Actors Guild Award. Everything that this actor has done has always been memorable. In 2000, he was given the rank of Officer of the British Empire. Recently, he has been traversing the British

Isles aboard his Dutch Barge as a part of a BBC Four television series. After experiencing health issues, he is taking life a little easier. He was my mother's favourite actor.

Lydia Leonard is renowned for her roles in Bring up the Bodies and

The Crown. She can be seen on stage and in film.

Coco is played by Ella Rumpf. She is best known for her film Raw, which won the Sutherland Trophy. Emun Mohammadi is a

Scottish actor. He is based in Edinburgh. He is known for Star Wars and Dr. Christian King from Paradox. In this film, he appears as Tom.

Rob Delaney is a comedian,

writer, and activist. In the film, he plays the character Ralph.

Simon Mayonda is an exceptionally gifted British stage and film actor. In this film, he played Charles.