A Field in England (2013)

A namby-pamby scholar is tasked with finding and arresting a villainous alchemist

First off, I can't be sure whether this film is actually good.  It pleases me aesthetically, as I happen to like 17th century costume and philosophy, and actors Reece Sheersmith and Michael Smiley, and am entranced by the idea of monochrome psychedelia, and won over by any film that seeks to resemble 'Winstanley' (1975) - but since the film falls so neatly into the category of Films I Will Obviously Warm To, I can't tell whether my enjoyment of the film had any basis in its quality.

It's a particular problem, as so far as I can tell everyone who sees the film comes away saying it's either excellent or terrible.  Despite the fact I've taken it upon myself to tell you about dozens of movies I don't have a particularly good critical faculty or understanding of art, so can only really say that this is either a complex and intriguing piece, or something pretentious and wilfully impenetrable.  I'm always gladdened when films credit their audience with thinking minds - and I came away with a number of interpretations of what I saw, and have pondered them since - but I can't be sure how much these were intended, how much my response is down to a film crafted like a mystery, or whether it all means nothing, and is merely a set of exciting pictures flung together haphazardly.  I liked it, but you might hate it and be right to do so.

By force of personality the prisoner turns his captors to his will
They look for treasure!

P.S. See how much shorter the posts are when I cut straight to the conclusion!

P.P.S. Through no great planning, I've done two consecutive posts about films with the word 'field' in their titles, exactly 50 years apart.  Hooray!

---