‘Aaaaaaaah!’: The surreal British comedy that sees everyone pretend to be monkeys
British cinema has long championed experimental and offbeat ideas, funding arthouse and non-commercially viable films that have gone on to become cult classics. The work of Derek Jarman, beginning in the 1970s, helped to establish the prominence of art cinema in Britain. His transgressive films, establishing him as one of the most important filmmakers in the queer cinema canon, came to inspire many other budding artists.
Of course, Jarman wasn’t the only experimental filmmaker active when the genre began to gain traction. Other notable avant-garde works of art include Jane Arden’s The Other Side of the Underneath and Laura Mulvey and Peter Wollen’s Riddles of the Sphinx, inspiring generations of British filmmakers to lose all sense of cinematic abandon. Britain has since gained a reputation for producing unique, unconventional films, continuing into the 21st century.
In 2015, actor Steve Oram, known for starring in countless British films and television shows, from The Mighty Boosh to Paddington, released his feature directorial debut, Aaaaaaaah! The movie is perhaps one of the most courageously subversive works of cinema released in the past decade, throwing all sense of convention to the wind. The movie, which stars Oram alongside some well-known British faces – Toyah Wilcox, Julian Barratt, Noel Fielding, Alice Lowe and more – features no dialogue. Instead, the characters all communicate through movement, animalistic noises and facial expressions.
The movie quickly devolves into pure chaos, with plenty of sickening scenes and bizarre behaviour taking place. Nudity and violence abound as the characters act with a lack of moral compass. At times, the movie becomes so surreal and grim that you question why you stuck the film on in the first place, yet Oram’s dedication to creating a satirical, self-aware slice of graphic entertainment is highly commendable.
The film is shot in 4:3, which gives it a somewhat vintage feel, paired with the low-budget look of the camera, shakily filming the characters like a documentary. Oram questions what separates humans from animals with shocking yet comedic images, using a distinctively British sense of humour to do so.
Discussing the movie, Oram explained to Film4, “I’ve always been fascinated by how similar we are to primates – we are primates. There, I’ve said it! So the obvious way to do it – to me – would be to have it set in a very ordinary setting.” Oram believes that removing all forms of spoken dialogue “strips away a layer of artifice.”
According to the director, the actors were “turning up to set already speaking in ape language,” which undoubtedly made for an interesting atmosphere. Aaaaaaaah! reflects British cinema’s penchant for playfulness, mixing genuine commentary on humanity and society with large doses of satire and humour. Following in the footsteps of early experimental filmmakers who disregarded cinematic expectations and made their own rules, Oram’s film joins an ever-growing canon of unique artistry.
