Trouble in Tesco

If nothing else, Trouble in Tesco is proof that we’ve reached a point in time where you really don’t need much to be able to make a film. Presumably, this was done on zero budget with illustration software that we all have access to, and if it wasn’t then it certainly could have been. Visually it looks like it might be going for something in the same vein as Don Hertzfeldt’s It’s Such a Beautiful Day, but it's probably aspiring more closely to a collection of low-effort memes that you might find on a “circle jerk” subreddit.

There’s clearly a heavy inspiration from Trey Parker and Matt Stone. This is clear not only because a well-known clip of the two of them is played in part during the film, but also because of the low-fi animation style coupled with absurdist humour and the word “guy”. It isn’t entirely clear what the humour is referencing, though, as it seems as if it’s perhaps a continuation of an in-joke that we’re not privy to. It can also be difficult to decipher some of the text that flashes up during certain scenes, and then there’s an added layer of difficulty in deciding whether it’s relevant or not. Ultimately it becomes a bit of a confusing experience with little guidance for what we’re supposed to take from it.

The story jumps around with a bit of a disregard for any kind of structure. It’s essentially a robbery in Tescos that’s met with such apathy from a staff member there that it then turns into an existential reflection on the aspiring robber’s connection with Aldi. There’s also a running gag about everything being down by the quay, which is pronounced incorrectly every time it’s said. It just feels like it wasn’t made to be seen by anyone other than the people who would inherently get it by being in on a joke that we have no context for.

There are two scenes where the clip of Trey Parker and Matt Stone plays, one at the start and then another at the end. It’s unclear why this choice was made as it doesn’t seem to really relate to anything despite bookending the whole film. You can only assume that this is either a heavy-handed way for the filmmakers to tell us who they’re inspired by or just more evidence of a joke that we’re not in on. Neither is particularly enlightening.

Trouble in Tesco has the chance to be endearing for its art style, even inspirational. Unfortunately, there’s just a lot of empty space.