Skeletons has the kind of premise I wish I’d come up with. It follows emotional exorcists Davis and Bennett who are paid to rid their clients of the baggage hindering their lives without their clients having to do very much at all. Except they are required to look at each other awkwardly, as their hidden flaws are matter-of-factly discussed by strangers.

Not exactly laugh-out-loud, this is more of a smile-lopsidedly film, as it was probably intended. Writer and director Nick Whitfield has taken the dark reality of the things that lurk unsaid in our minds and puts them in the hands of massively flawed, seemingly dim characters. His well-paced reveal of exactly what this story is about and who the hell Bennett and Davis are is brilliant right up until the overly satisfying and therefore disappointing ending.

To his credit Whitfield cleverly keeps us guessing as the lonely exorcists discuss the triumphs of Rasputin while they plod from screwed up couple to screwed up family dodging their own vices. Remaining detached from their clients doesn’t help either as we come to see that for all the puzzle solving this lack-lustre mystery-busting duo get up to, they could also go around offering hugs. But then they wouldn’t get to wear suits and dart around the subject of their fallen comrades who used their powers for less than good. Nor would they have The Colonel (Jason Isaacs) to impress or avoid depending on how controversial their plans for the day are.

Caught between being a surreal look at our need for answers, and a plodding character comedy, Skeletons lacks the quirkiness of Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind but has that compelling, unapologetic, seemingly illogical presentation of events and emotions that all comes good in the end. It also features brilliant performances by actresses with amazing names like Paprika Steen and Tuppence Middleton who play the troubled wife and daughter of a missing father.

If I were able to award half-stars, this would get three and half but then, who goes to see a film based on a star rating? Skeletons is born of an impressive, witty script and dare I say it, endearing characters. It’s concept is smart and the direction is sharp. Part of New British Cinema Quarterly, it will have it’s première screening at Edinburgh International Film Festival on June 22^nd and then opens in cinemas throughout the UK after July 2^nd.

Photo:  Andrew Buckley and Ed Gaughan as Bennett and Davis.