Spaceship (2016)

Alien abduction, unicorns, teenage BDSM role-play and a heavy metal dad... Not your usual fare for British cinema. But then, feature debut Spaceship is not your usual British film. Celebrated shorts director (Kids Might Fly, 2009) Alex Taylor directs a dayglow examination of teen ennui in the affluent Surrey commuter belt. Following the death of her mother, Lucidia (an ethereal and bewitching Alexa Davies) lives with her Finnish archaeologist father. He spends long days at work, talking Nordic metal while digging in the woods. Lucidia, meanwhile, flits around with her misfit community of cyber goth peers (an intriguing ensemble, led by the electrifying Tallulah Haddon). But there is a distinct coldness in these largely abandoned middle-class kids and when Lucidia is seemingly abducted by aliens, they’re macabrely fascinated rather than concerned. With its powerful soundtrack and expressive photography, Spaceship exudes shades of Harmony Korine and Gregg Araki.