Fresh out of Game of Thrones, Aidan Gillen produces, co-writes and stars in Pickups, a micro-budget oddity from director Jamie Thraves. Exploring the mind of an actor as he prepares to play a serial killer, its darkly funny but barely manages to justify its already short running time.
Gillen plays a fictional version of himself, actor Aiden who has recently divorced, is struggling with back pain and wants to reconnect with his teenage son. He’s also in the process of method preparation for his role as a murderer in an upcoming film. Pickups follows Aiden as he encounters fans on the streets and goes to extreme lengths to get into the mind of a murderer.
It’s a film about acting that tries to give the viewer an insight into the preparation that goes into becoming a character on screen. From its opening scene, it deals with the awkwardness of performing sex scenes, particularly those that involve sex and death in the same scene. With its off-camera director occasionally interrupting what occurs on screen quite unexpectedly, it’s never quite clear if a scene is supposed to be real life, or if what occurs is actually happening on a set in front of cameras.
Pickups also deals with the effects of fame and how actors are accosted by those who recognise them on the streets. Aiden is roped in to having pictures with fans, even after picking up his dog’s shit on the pavement. If he refuses, he’s insulted. Even creepier are the fans that offer sex or stalk him by waiting outside his house. It’s like sitting in on Actors Anonymous group therapy session as a thespian gets his concerns and grievances off his chest and admits to a few darker thoughts of his own from time to time.
As a viewer, you’re never quite sure if what you are watching is fantasy or reality. With genuine old photos of Gillen dotted around the film (as a child, as an adult, dressed in drag), Pickups is also about memory and mid-life crises. Aiden catches up with old friends, briefly tries to recapture some of his youth, but he is constantly plagued by back pain that a masseuse suggests is a ‘bad spirit’ within him.
Even with all these ideas floating around, Pickups feels a little threadbare, like a short film stretched (just) to feature length. Thraves uses the central ideas to play with form, creating dream-like sequences with eerie sound effects and overlapping images. It feels experimental in such moments and admirably attempts to tell a vaguely compelling story on an incredibly slim budget.
Aidan Gillen is always watchable and it’s definitely a brave performance from the actor formerly known as Littlefinger. While Pickups does have some interesting insights into the actor’s process and the pressures of fame, its best in its most meta-moments but ultimately its ideas could have been summed up in a short.
PICKUPS / CERT: TBC / DIRECTOR: JAMIE THRAVES / SCREENPLAY: AIDAN GILLEN, JAMIE THRAVES / STARRING: ANTONIA CAMPBELL-HUGHES, AMY DE BHRUN, AIDAN GILLEN / RELEASE DATE: UK RELEASE DATE TBA
Expected Rating: 6
Actual Rating:
