Written and directed by British filmmaker Jamie Patterson, God’s Petting You is a dark, twisted comedy about two addicts joining forces to steal a small fortune from a wealthy porn star. One happens to be addicted to heroin, the other to sex, oh – and they also happen to find each other attractive, so what’s the worst thing that could happen?
Will it work or will it all crumble and fall?
Set in Patterson’s hometown of Brighton, the film’s atmosphere is dark and gloomy throughout, with no real hope of a happy ending. Our main character Charlie, the heroin addict (George Webster), seems to be yet another addict fighting his way for the next high, with few other cares or consequences in the world. He’s stuck in a dead-end job in insurance with a boss called Mark (Joss Porter), who is borderline inappropriate and batshit crazy towards Charlie, who also has a mild cocaine habit himself. He floats through life getting high and working at a job that makes him suicidal each morning.
Until one day his dealer Dave (Joe Wilkinson) tells him he’s up and leaving to Winchester for some girl he’s never actually met. Charlie starts to spiral and tries to think of how he’ll get his next fix, preferably from a dealer that won’t murder him in his sleep. As if that’s not enough, in comes a beautiful young woman with an eye-catching tattoo on her chest. Nobody knows her name and she is simply referred to as ‘Tattoo Girl’ (Skye Lourie). Instantly she is drawn to him and their connection starts to blossom, in a weird and toxic way.
So who is she, this mystery woman? Of course, we find out she’s a sex addict new to the AA group Charlie and Dave attend (ironically) and isn’t really sure as to why she’s there – just milling about and being curious perhaps? She and Charlie start to build a unique connection, a friendship of sorts and that’s when they start to hatch their big plan.
Both Lourie and Webster are brilliant in this. They vibe off each other well and is clearly shown through each scene they have together. They have banter and it feels natural, like it should be. As we move through each scene, I find myself laughing hysterically or on the edge of my seat waiting to see what might happen next. The drama is next level, although sometimes I find myself laughing because I don’t quite know how to take it all in, especially from Jimmy the porn star (Benedict Garrett) whose scenes are always played out in the nude and with facial expressions and dialogue you can’t help but laugh at. How are you meant to take him seriously when he’s naked and talking about how large his c*** is in comparison to, well let’s face it, every other guy out there, including Charlie (who is currently on the floor bleeding after being pulverised by Jimmy and his ever-so-massive penis.
There are a few other familiar faces that make an appearance, like April Pearson who plays Sue the AA advisor, the ever-wonderful Alice Lowe as Charlie’s therapist, Jordan Stephens (one half of music band Rizzle Kicks) playing fellow addict Nick and Irish actor and singer Patrick Bergin as the elusive ‘American’. They create quite the entertaining ensemble for this film, and with only it being an hour and a half, everything and everyone sure does pack a punch.
The ending is mildly entertaining and even though it is somewhat obvious as to what happens, you can still try to picture what if? You can see the carefree thoughts of the two young individuals with hope for a better future, and if that’s even entirely possible, who knows?
God’s Petting You is a quirky and indulgent film that leaves you questioning your own moral beliefs and sanity. It’s fun and entertaining, yet it does romanticise addiction and somewhat glorifies the use of drugs in a way that should be made more educational instead. Perhaps making people aware that being an addict isn’t something to be swept aside and that actually, it can be a very seriously thing to have to go through. What is the message of the film exactly? What are they trying to tell their audience? A film like this that doesn’t only touch on addiction and sex, but also trauma and abuse. It has the potential to be powerful in its message for those out there who need to listen.
