Get Lost In A Field In England's Striking New Poster And Stills

As per usual, U.S. audiences will finally be able to get their eyeballs on a Ben Wheatley film months after it premiered in his U.K. homeland - and this is a flick that your retinas might never recover from. A Field in England is yet another example of Wheatley’s excessive talent behind the camera, and a few new promotional stills have been released to back that assertion up. The psychedelic alternate poster seen above should also put you in the right mindset, as this is a movie much more concerned with atmosphere, tone and visual splendor rather than a traditional three-act narrative. Simply put, this isn’t for everyone.

It’s a wonderfully moody mental exercise for audiences who don’t mind taking a black-and-white journey to 17th century England in the middle of the English Civil War. The film follows an alchemist’s assistant named Whitehead (Reece Shearsmith) who tags along with a few other war deserters in searching for a safe and battle-free setting. They soon come across an Irishman named O’Neill (Michael Smiley), whom Whitehead was tasked with bringing to justice for theft. Instead, O’Neill asserts leadership and forces the men to go on a treasure hunt with him in the middle of a strange field. Insert a bunch of dark wit and a pile of mushrooms and you’ve got a film that stands alone in its surreal originality, feeling less like a film and more like a dream you have trouble remembering.

Take a look at four of the stills, the rest of which you can find at Bloody Disgusting. Each of them could be framed and hung on a wall, and if you don’t agree with me, can you at least come and help me put them up at my house?

a field in England still

a field in England still

a field in England still

a field in England still

Those last two take place after Whitehead has chowed down on the shrooms to help him find the treasure. What viewers will find is possible epilepsy. It isn’t as insufferably tense as Kill List or as satirically violent as Sightseers, but A Field in England is the Wheatley movie that film geeks will be talking about for years to come. Drafthouse Films is giving it a VOD release and limited theatrical run starting February 7th. Drink a fifth of cough syrup and check out the trailer below.

Nick Venable
Assistant Managing Editor

Nick is a Cajun Country native and an Assistant Managing Editor with a focus on TV and features. His humble origin story with CinemaBlend began all the way back in the pre-streaming era, circa 2009, as a freelancing DVD reviewer and TV recapper.  Nick leapfrogged over to the small screen to cover more and more television news and interviews, eventually taking over the section for the current era and covering topics like Yellowstone, The Walking Dead and horror. Born in Louisiana and currently living in Texas — Who Dat Nation over America’s Team all day, all night — Nick spent several years in the hospitality industry, and also worked as a 911 operator. If you ever happened to hear his music or read his comics/short stories, you have his sympathy.