While we in the United States had a tumultuous last few years—no matter what side of the aisle/political spectrum you are on—we were not the only country going through some severe growing pains. The United Kingdom and Europe had quite the shakeup when voters ratified Britain’s highly contentious exit from the European Union. Better known as “Brexit,” the move caused uncertainty throughout various countries in terms of bureaucracy and the status of visa, etc. Some people were almost immediately hit with a feeling of voter’s remorse, believing the politicians in favor of it misled them or overpromised.
This precarious scenario is the backdrop to director Jackson Batchelor’s Monstrous Disunion, which he co-wrote with Sam Mason-Bell. They also throw in a pandemic to ensure their production is even more topical and timely. Did they successfully fuse the two seemingly different yet equally chaotic events into an entertaining ride, or were they overly ambitious?
“…the family learns of a virus turning people into pig monsters.”
The Baker family is fraught with internal strife. Mark (Martin W. Payne) and his son Pete (Connor Mellish) voted in favor of Brexit. However, older daughter Maddy (Jessamie Waldon-Day), who is home from university for the summer, is against it. All the while, Mark’s wife/ the kids’ mother, Anne (Janette Evans), is just sick of talking politics entirely.
At dinner, with Maddy’s college friends Mikey (Ryan Carter) and Jas (Alexandra Robertshaw) over, discussions get heated. The tense situation is made even more fraught when the family learns of a virus turning people into pig monsters. Without any details on how it spreads or who is likely to catch it, the Bakers turn on each other, as their political and personal differences threaten to (literally) tear the humanity from them.
"…demands to be seen as soon as possible."
