I started out disliking 'A Fitting Tribute' because the premise reminded me of one of the most uncomfortable events in my adult life. In 1975, I was a stringer for one of the Fleet Street tabloids. An attractive young heiress named Lesley Whittle was kidnapped and held to ransom by a psychopath who eventually murdered her. My editor ordered me to go to the Whittle home and obtain a photograph of the dead heiress, even though her grieving family presumably had other priorities at the moment. As I was leaving the editor's desk, he shouted after me: 'Try to get her in a swimming cozzie.'
Fortunately, 'A Fitting Tribute' goes off in an entirely different direction from my own experiences on that unpleasant occasion.
'A Fitting Tribute' begins in a rural cemetery, where we meet shrewish Tammy and gormless Niall. They get into a car, and Tammy drives while she harangues Niall. There's some plot exposition here, and director Daniel Cormack handles it expertly: he shoots close-ups of Tammy's eyes in the rear-view mirror (presumably from Niall's P.O.V.) while her off-screen voice delivers the set-up. Apparently Niall is a cub reporter, and Tammy (a more experienced journo) is ordering him to the home of a young man who has recently died in a road accident, with the objective of obtaining a photograph of the deceased. We never do learn why this young man is important enough to merit so much journalistic intrigue; perhaps Tammy and Niall are working for a regional newspaper that specialises in local events.
Niall goes to the house of Mrs Wright, the deceased's mother. Surprisingly enough, she lets him in and hears him out. What happens next is utterly unexpected, bizarre, yet believable. I shan't spoil the ending for you, except to say that it reminded me of Roald Dahl's classic story 'The Landlady' ... but with a far more benevolent fate befalling the young protagonist in this case. There's a darkly clever pun in this film's title: 'A Fitting Tribute'.
There are only three characters in this mini-drama (we never do see the dead son), but all three actors give excellent well-modulated performances. As the grieving mother, April Nicholson could have brought her characterisation into bathos but blessedly never does so. It's early days yet for director Daniel Cormack, but he has already distinguished himself as a talented director, both in manipulating actors and in positioning the camera. Throughout 'A Fitting Tribute', his shot set-ups are spot-on and well-framed. I'll rate this clever drama a full 10 out of 10.
