On the Reverberating Ripples of Tyrannosaur

There are some scenes that will live throughout film history. The tyrannosaurus rex approaching the unprepared visitors in Jurassic Park (1993) is one of them. That this scene would become a pivotal moment of a British social realist film eighteen years later was probably less certain. Tyrannosaur, Paddy Considine’s feature film debut, is a startlingly realistic portrayal of one man’s struggle to contain his rage and of one woman’s experience with domestic violence. When these two characters’ lives are juxtaposed the results are difficult to turn away from and difficult to watch. This film is driven by an appropriately paired down direction and an equally appropriate powerful performance from Peter Mullan. This is not always easy viewing, it challenges the audience, but the results will resonate.