It was quite a journey for its co-star and co-writer, Alice Lowe, to get the film made.
And she spared us a bit of time to talk about it all…
It did get me thinking that the cinema of the West Midlandshas been sadly lacking on the big screen.
The best I could do was Michael Elphick inI Bought A Vampire Motorcycle.
Surely thats the film that inspired you?
[Laughs] No, but I must see that!
I love Michael Elphicks earlier stuff, as he had a whole other career as an Oliver Reed-style heartthrob.
I might have seen a clip of it, but Im definitely going to track that down now!
Oliver Reed never ended up with Peggy in the Queen Vic though, to be fair.
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Maybe if hed survived longer he might have done though!
You think if he hadnt died while makingGladiator, hed have paved the way toEastEnders?
Anything you were interested in youd be able to find someone also interested in it.
In the Midlands, nobody came out as gay at my school at all.
Maybe times have changed.
Can we not film it just outside London?
They have got aspirations that are unfulfilled because of the environment that theyre in.
But also Brummies are really, really funny.
[Laughs] We based it a lot on our family backgrounds, and family holidays.
I think we felt strongly that, also, the Midlands doesnt get shown on screen.
Psychologically, for us, we went on a research trip, and we went to all these places.
We went to Redditch, and then we did the actual trip you see on screen.
It does change your approach, the way you think and the way you respond to your environment.
It really shapes the film in that sense.
We were like, thats Tinas mums house.
Shes built her own little castle in this very ordinary street.
Youve missed a trick there.
And thats mother-daughter stories.
And we were only including here at the beginning.
Also, Eileen Davies, the actress, is so incredible.
We couldnt believe we found her, and thought wed struck gold.
Who is this woman, and why isnt she hugely famous?
Where has she been?
I think its true though.
That idea of an overbearing mother, and that claustrophobia.
It feels like an unspoken-about thing.
Again, wed have people questioning it asking why she would still be living with her mother.
But it does happen.
There are people who dont grow up for whatever reason, and theyre not allowed to.
Particularly so now, with the financial state of the country as it is?
More and more people dont even have the option of moving out.
I also think theres not very many scenes that are just two women talking.
Its a very psychological, intense relationship.
Its different to the relationship you might have with a father, its much more critical.
It justifies everything she does, doesnt it?
Yeah, I think so.
I think you have to let it stand the test of time.
And its funny, because we do get people going theres no plot is there?
The plot comes from their psychologies and dynamic.
These two time bombs being put together, and seeing what the outcome is.
That was a really difficult thing to unpack, choosing when to reveal parts of their personalities and psyches.
It would not have been satisfying if the Daily Mail had given us three stars!
Either give us a brilliant review or a terrible review.
We were just laughing our heads off.
My mum and dad, theyll never forgive me for theDaily Mailjoke, because they read it.
But they love the film!
And I know theyre kind of biased, but I really thought itd be too dark for them.
I wasnt sure if theyd like it, or find it too shocking.
And they absolutely loved it.
And plenty of older people are loving it.
Channels like the BBC slightly patronise by saying we cant deal with slightly darker stuff.
Yeah, and I think that television becomes very boring for that age group.
Theyre desperate to see something thats actually treating us like were adults.
British television is crying out for a HBO.
Yeah, thats what I was about to say.
We pitched Sightseers as a TV idea originally, and it was rejected because it was too dark.
The world needs more Venn diagrams!
How are you getting on with your filmLily, and whats your favourite Jason Statham movie?
Any order you like.
Well I can answer the Jason Statham one really quickly: Ive never seen any of his films.
I saw a bit of a weird one where there were loads of strippers in it.
I dont know what it was.
I think people think its good, and some people think its an intelligent film!
But I just thought this is awful [Laughs]!
I saw ten minutes of it and thought kill me now!
Im developing Lily with Warp who did the likes ofFour LionsandTyrannosaur.
So it is a comedy, quite dark, and with lots of realism mixed with surrealism.
Which are two different things that Im really interested in across my career.
Its bringing those two worlds together.
Im really excited about it.
Which is what Im trying to do with my next film!
Sightseersis out on DVD and Blu-ray now.
