''The Real Badlands'' is a 2009 documentary film produced by

Current TV Current TV was an American television channel which broadcast from August 1, 2005, to August 20, 2013. Prior INdTV founders Al Gore and Joel Hyatt, with Ronald Burkle, each held a sizable stake in Current TV. Comcast and DirecTV each held a smalle ...

and Rockwood Pictures, by British filmmakers Tim Clark and Craig Ford. The film tells the story of a

Newark-on-Trent Newark-on-Trent or Newark () is a market town and civil parish in the Newark and Sherwood district in Nottinghamshire, England. It is on the River Trent, and was historically a major inland port. The A1 road (Great Britain), A1 road bypasses th ...

couple (Simon Burgess and Susan Moran), who fed up with modern-day life, quit their jobs, sell all of their possessions, and move into the woods.

Controversy

The film was particularly controversial upon its release due to inaccurate claims that the film was staged; it was claimed that the film was in fact a mockumentary. The filmmakers publicly denied these claims in a written statement read out live on Current TV, minutes after the film was broadcast.Stew Game, Current TV, Live Broadcast 2009

Locations

The film was shot in

Stapleford Woods Stapleford Woods form an area of ancient woodland and forest in Stapleford, Lincolnshire, England. The boundary of the ancient woods follows the county boundary between Lincolnshire and Nottinghamshire. History Left in ancient times to Trinity Co ...

and Kelham, near Newark-on-Trent, during the summer and winter of 2008.Lucy Millard, Newark Advertiser, 13 February 2009

Exhibition

''The Real Badlands'' was broadcast by Current TV on 30 January 2009.
It has been repeated numerous times since its initial broadcast in the UK, US and Europe. It was briefly made available for viewing in the UK on Virgin Media's on-demand services. The film was released on DVD in late 2009.IMDB Entry, 2009

Reception

Upon its release, ''The Real Badlands'' received almost universal critical acclaim. Current TV presenter Stew Game went on to describe the film as "brilliant" and compared it to ''

The Office ''The Office'' is a mockumentary sitcom created by Ricky Gervais and Stephen Merchant, first made in the United Kingdom, then Germany, and subsequently the United States. It has since been remade in ten other countries. The original series of ...

''. The film has gone on to develop a loyal cult following online, with fans affectionately describing the film's central character, Simon Burgess, as "Burge Grylls", in reference to the TV personality and survival expert Bear Grylls.

Remake

In 2010 principal photography began on a feature-film version, under the working title of ''Plan B''. It was later announced that the film, a joint collaboration between Rockwood Pictures, Death Ground Media and Devils Lake Films, would be released in 2022, with a new title; ''Once Upon a Time in the Wild''.

References

External links

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Rockwood Pictures
{{DEFAULTSORT:Real Badlands 2009 films British documentary films Anti-modernist films 2000s English-language films 2000s British films