Badger presents us with a seemingly innocuous situation that quickly morphs into something extremely uncomfortable. While waiting for a wildlife expert to come and remove an injured badger, our lead character starts talking to a stranger whose behaviour begins to cause alarm.
The sound design and music are employed well to ramp up the stress and tension. However, this escalates so quickly that you could be forgiven for wondering at times if there was a twist coming. Something which could detract from the serious message under consideration.
The male character’s inappropriate questioning and lack of emotional intelligence make this uncomfortable viewing. And while the stranger isn’t capable of reading his audience, we can certainly feel that this is an unusual encounter. The framing used mirrors the strong sense of claustrophobia and wanting to get away from this man. While the open space it takes place in provides an interesting juxtaposition which reinforces the facts behind the narrative.
The theme of sexual harassment and a reluctance to report it is somewhat clumsily handled, but what it does extremely well is induce an anger around these types of behaviour and a feeling of helplessness that is all too familiar. The performances are well-crafted to elicit a strong reaction from the audience. And the every-day nature of the setting and situation are a reminder that feeling unsafe can happen in even the least sinister environments.
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