THE RIOT CLUB

UK, 2014, 105 minutes, Colour.
Max Irons, Sam Claflin, Holliday Grainger, Sam Reid, Douglas Booth, Freddie Fox, Natalie Dormer, Harry Lloyd, Samuel West, Tom Hollander, Geraldine Somerville, Julian Wadham, James Faulkner, Brown Findlay, Matthew Beard, Ben Schnetzer.
Directed by Lone Scherfig.

This film opens with a sequence in the 18th century, a fop engaged with the wife of an older man, the confrontation, accusations, the young man’s death – and the transition to the 21st century and The Right Club commemorating his memory.

The action takes place over a brief period of time. Max Irons is Miles, a well-educated young man who goes to Oxford, is willing to give up the allotted room Alistair, Sam Claflin, whose parents are demanding and whose brother had been to Oxford. To later meet at tutorials where they clash as well as in initiation into The Right Club. Commentators note the Bullingdon Club in Oxford.

There are only 10 members of the club and they have to be invited. There are the crass initiation ceremonies and a welcoming into the brotherhood of the club. It is very male oriented, presumptuous, arrogant, elitist.

Miles has met a young student, Lauren (Holiday Grainger) and has begun a relationship with her which will collapse because of his not defending her against the members of the club.

The bulk of the film is a dinner at a restaurant. The club has a bad reputation for trashing restaurants and has been banned in many areas. The proprietor of the restaurant is eager to have them and urges his kitchen staff and his daughter who works with him to attend to the students. As the evening progresses, their behaviour deteriorates, drunken sport school boys trashing everything, full of bravado, eventually attacking the proprietor and viciously injuring him. The police investigate. The members of the club seek to have a scapegoat.

Interestingly, the film was directed by Danish Lone Scherfig, who made films at home like Italian for Beginners but latterly moved to Britain to make films like Wilbur Wants to Kill Himself, An Education, One Day and Their Finest.

Many audiences will find the film, especially the dinner sequence, very difficult to sit through. The screenplay was written by Laura Wade based on her play, Posh. It is certainly a critique of the British upper-class as dramatised by The Riot Club and its attitudes and behaviour.

1. The title? The 18th century incident? Dramatised? Adultery, the young man, the wife, her vengeful husband? The young man’s death? The establishing of the club? His memory?

2. The transition to contemporary Oxford, the vistas of the city, the streets, buildings, colleges? Exteriors and interiors? Student rooms? Tutors’ rooms? The restaurant, the dining room, the meal, the trashing of the room? The police, colleges? The London sequences? The musical score?

3. The connection of this story with the Bullingdon club? Secret clubs? Oxford, students, knowledge of the club, membership, limited to 10, elitist?

4. The focus on Miles, his background, good education, pleasant character, noticing Lauren, the attraction, their meeting, talk, outings, sexual encounter, relationship, the possibilities? His being the target for the Riot Club? The approaches? Hugo and the others? The president? His curiosity? Giving up his room for Alastair? In the tutorial, the clashes between them, the ideology? The role of the tutor?

5. The details sequences of the initiation? The putrid drink…? Miles involved, enjoying it, his choice? The ethos of the club? Morale, moral issues?

6. The contrast with Alastair, his parents, the reputation of his brother, his father’s expectations? Changing the room? Elitist? Wanting to prove himself? Wanting to be in the club, the initiation, the associates? The cars, the drinking, the bravado? The antagonism towards Miles? In the tutorials?

7. The focus on the personalities of the group, the president and his standing back somewhat, Hugo being older, dominating? The Greek student and his enthusiasm?

8. Themes of education, presumption, family, wealth, sports students, going to Oxford?

9. The preparation for the party, the proprietor, his eagerness to have the guests? His daughter helping him? The club, the reputation, trashing restaurants, their being banned? The other guests in the restaurant? The proprietor, the kitchen staff, the preparation of the meal? His tendency to kowtow to the richer students? The other guests and their complaints about the noise?

10. The development of the meal, eating and drinking, talk, spoilt schoolboy behaviour, drunken behaviour, the beginning to trash the place? The criticisms of the proprietor? Interactions with the daughter? Audience reaction to the growing misbehaviour?

11. Alastair and his phoning Lauren, her arriving, Miles and his surprise, the lewd talk, his not defending her, her breaking with him?

12. The owner, the appeals of the customers, his plea to the students, their spurning him, mocking him, Alastair and the fighting, bashing, the bat? The severe injuries to the proprietor? Miles, not participating, spattered with blood?

13. The arrival of the police, the interrogations? The scene of the club members, wanting a scapegoat? The different suggestions, Miles, the president, people backing down?

14. Miles, his parents being summoned, the president and the discussion, Miles been allowed to stay?

15. Alastair and his cousin, the previous discussions with the cousin about the club and its ethos? Alastair sent down, getting a job, encouraged by his cousin?

16. The film based on a play, the title, Posh? Audiences and their reaction to the students and their behaviour, their arrogant attitudes, elitist, class superiority? The film as a critique?