Stanleyville

The Volkswagen Tiguan metallic habanero orange compact sports utility vehicle is a nice piece of work. its 17 inch allow wheels, eight speed automatic transition and all-wheel drive make it a nippy little mover, while its sleek bodywork and chrome highlights give it a touch of class – and that’s before we get to the remarkably comfortable black leatherette heated seats, the glass roof, the automatic climate control and the dashboard with built-in touchscreen. It’s really quite a prize – but how far would you you be willing to go to win it?

Maria Barbizan (Susanne Wuest) is not the kind of person who has won very much in life. Though disinclined to be talkative, she hints at a good deal of misfortune in her past. From her tightly bound blond hair to her pale, plain clothes and the way she sits with her knees pressed tightly together, everything about her speaks of wanting to be inconspicuous and take up less space. She has never thought of herself as special, never imagined that she would be selected, from among hundreds of other possible contestants, and given the opportunity to win that car – or, as the mysterious Mr Homunculus (Julian Richings) suggests, to discover, by way of the contest, complete mind-body actualisation.

Her fellow contestants, gathered together in a sparsely furnished room in an anonymous office block, each have their own reasons for attending. Health fanatic Bofill Pancreas (George Tchortov) sees it as a promotional opportunity and also seems to be hoping to have fun. Finance executive Andrew Frisbee Jr (Christian Serritiello) is consumed by a need to prove what he perceives as his natural superiority. The garishly dressed but palpably nervous Manny Jumpcannon (Adam Brown), whom the others write off as a junkie, is anxious for validation and reassurance. The plain spoken, laser focused Felicie Arkady (Cara Ricketts), meanwhile, just wants the car.

Though Maria holds on tight to her faith, there is no hint of glamour about this contest. Director Maxwell McCabe-Lokos presents it as an exploration of mediocrity, yet his gift for observational and surrealist comedy – as demonstrated previously in Lars And The Real Girl – ensures that it doesn’t get boring, and a strong suite of performances ensures that the characters have more going on than just their gimmicks. Even the most obnoxious ones gradually acquire some sympathetic qualities. In the meantime, however, the competition rounds become more uncomfortable. What starts out with balloon blowing and the composing of international anthems to promote peace ends up taking a decidedly more sinister turn. Not everybody will make it through this contest alive.

For all its surrealist tendencies, Stanleyville is essentially a fairly straightforward study of how humans behave in competitive conditions. It may be played for laughs but there is nothing here that is not recognisable, and it will have particular appeal to people whose workplaces are constantly trying to make them compete against one another or engage them in challenges. Maria’s success in connecting with an external voice which offers advice and insight introduces something like a religious dimension, but one might question its importance (and God’s) when nobody pays it any heed anyway, unless trying to cheat the system.

if you’re not a fan of quirky cinema, this film will be your worst nightmare. if you’re open to it but find it frustrating when quirks are introduced for no reason, well, it doesn’t go out of its way to explain or justify every choice, but its various elements gradually fit together to create something which is unsettling in all the right ways, yet somehow sweet at the same time. Importantly, McCabe-Lokos knows better than to waste time with explanations. Everything that matters is revealed in what the characters choose to do. Participation is essential. You may not leave the arena. Do you have what it takes to be a winner?