A man and his ex meet up in a working man's club; not the most relaxed atmosphere at the best of times, but made more awkward by him wanting her to assist in cleaning up a brutal crime.
I first read about this in a post which described it in very extreme terms, calling it silly and talking up its oddity; I was surprised then to watch it and find how very observational and grounded it is. The scene is set in the north of England and it is instantly recogniseable as such - those not working out the title should know that it translates as "Northerners", which is what the film is about. What you're seeing here is the north of England - Yorkshire and thereabouts in particular. It might be ridiculously buttoned up, with a daft thick accent, limited attention to style and hygiene, and a matter-of-fact approach to life no matter how bad it is, but basically - welcome to Yorkshire. The film works because of how well it observes these things, and how well it stylizes them while it applies them around a very extreme situation - but it is only the very specific detail of the situation that seems unreal - the vast majority rings very true, albeit very condensed and simplified. The interactions and nature of the characters ring true, and the absurdity of it is only amplified by the scenario, not created - because there is a lot about the north that is already odd.
It is played out really well, and complemented by a great eye for the moment and the wider scene, but its strength is that, for all its absurdity and darkness, it feels very recognisable and grounded.
