The Last Great Wilderness (2002)

I am forever scouring the television schedules on the lookout for films I don't know and I found this British movie on a minor channel at a non-social hour, so naturally I set it to watch.  I think I'm pretty pleased that I did, as it was an ambitious effort by Scottish director David Mackenzie, written by and starring his brother, Andrew Mackenzie.  I wish them a brighter future than the Chiodo Brothers (see below).  Anyhow, our hero Charlie leaves London enroute to Skye where he plans to burn down the house of the pop star who has stolen his wife; along the way he meets up with Vincente a small-time crook and gigolo who is on the run from Mr. Big whose wife he seduced.  So we have an unlikely pairing of a cuckold and a cuckolder.  In the wilds of Scotland they run out of petrol and make their way to a nearby house, occupied by a number of damaged souls who may or may not be there to recover.  Their stay is prolonged when their car is sabotaged and we are presented with assorted strangeness which includes walking on burning coals, Vincente being seduced by a ghostly presence, camera voyeurism and a cross-dressing wake.  I gather that the promoters of this film tried to draw an analogy to "The Wicker Man", but it is really not a horror film or even a scary film in that sense, although I felt that witchcraft might be afoot (which it wasn't).  It culminates in a truly horrific act which while not unexpected was still disturbing.  All in all a good effort by the brothers Mackenzie, although I doubt that it will ever reach much of an audience, especially if it's relegated to a minor channel in the middle of the night.