Nestled amongst his hoard of papers, photos, and random objects, the “oddest man in Britain” Jake Mangle-Wurzel describes with great lucidity his obsession with never throwing anything away. “A lot of it is humour but a lot of it is philosophical,” he muses. After his wife and daughter left him some forty years ago, he vowed to spend the rest of his days as a professional lunatic. His small Huddersfield cottage became a den for an unfettered, inventive whimsy, featuring an outdoor tub and a “tab end” sculpture made with an especially unusual adhesive (and it’s not what you think). Oscillating wildly from mad to insightful, Mangle-Wurzel carves a inspirational yet lonely figure of boundless imagination. Yorkshire filmmaker Michelle Heighway chronicles the committed eccentric’s highs and lows over a period of five years that includes a council-ordered clean up and a devastating fire. As the film bears witness, their mutual fondness develops into trust and a genuine friendship that extends well beyond the frame.
