| The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael | |
| Director: | Thomas Clay |
| Producer: | Joseph Lang |
| Cinematography: | Yorgos Arvanitis |
| Editing: | David Wigram |
| Distributor: | Tartan Films |
| Runtime: | 96 minutes |
| Country: | United Kingdom |
| Language: | English |
The Great Ecstasy of Robert Carmichael is a 2005 British crime film directed by Thomas Clay in his feature-length directorial debut and written by Clay and Joseph Lang. It stars Daniel Spencer as the titular character, a teenager whose life spirals out of control after experimenting with drugs with schoolmates.
An introverted, socially awkward, middle-class youth, Robert Carmichael, is a talented cello player but is bored by his existence in the coastal town of Newhaven. He becomes associated with several other unsavory teenagers, and is soon tempted into the use of hard drugs like cocaine and ecstasy. At one point, the gang rapes a teenage girl in a squalid flat. Though Robert does not participate in this act, when the gang later attacks a middle-aged couple, and rapes the woman, Robert participates in that act.
The film was shown at the Edinburgh Film Festival and also the Cannes Film Festival as part of the Critic's Week sidebar, where it was nominated for the Camera d'Or award.[1] [2]