Movie appreciation: Filth

One of my Favourite movies to watch while drunk is Filth. And that should tell you a lot about me.
There's not much more satisfying than watching a man that isn't me commit to absolute self-destruction. (As long as it's fictional, of course.) It's a reminder of how far some tendencies can go, how depression and trauma can ruin a man, and a warning and admonishment to whoever indulges in this type of self-harm to slow the fuck down, by holding up a twisted mirror that shows where that path ultimately leads.
It makes me roar with vindictive, hateful laughter one moment and huddle in heart aching silence the next.

James McAvoy is brilliant, just as he always is, but Filth takes him all the way. It shoves him into the skin of a man who has lost all control and who is barely hanging on by the skin of his teeth. There's a sick fascination watching him abuse everyone around him, hurting them, lashing out, belittling and demeaning, doing as much damage, insidious or overt, as much as he possible can.
McAvoy gives a performance that is unhinged and the longer the movie goes on, the more out of control he gets. There comes a point where you're just watching the movie, waiting for him to go off the rails and to plow headfirst into the dirt.

The moments where he isn't a bastard he is stuck in such a deep well of misery it can only demand pity. And to then watch him snap himself out of that misery, clawing himself out of utter vulnerability back into a state of black hate, is deeply disturbing, it is a terrific portrayal of one man's utter self-hating war and a mind come undone.

The despair and misery is on counterpoint to upbeat music that manages to just barely bury the horror and revulsion beneath the surface level. I mentioned before somewhere that if a music score is good, the movie will likely sweep me along regardless of what's on display and it's the same here. It wouldn't be acceptable without it.

Filth is inspired by Irvine Welsh's novel of the same name with many references to his other novels. I'm reliably informed that, as is usual for these things, the movie doesn't hold a candle to the book but hey, that's okay, I'm good and comfortable with this.