Share
Clip description
John Bunting (Daniel Henshall) challenges the teenage Jamie (Lucas Pittaway) to shoot a dog, to prove himself.
Curator’s notes
This truly chilling clip (which does not show an act of violence) marks a further step in Jamie’s descent into a personal hell. Bunting is goading him into proving he’s not emasculated by committing a wanton act of violence against a pet.
The use of close-ups helps to emphasise the perverse and disturbing intimacy of what’s going on. Bunting’s unwavering, coal-black stare is deeply unnerving, and the look on Jamie’s face speaks eloquently of his anxiety.
In the early scenes Jamie’s hair was long and dishevelled. Now it’s shaven, just like Bunting’s – an indication of the influence the man has started to hold over him.
