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The entire cast is excellent, playing a variety of scenes that never feel staged. Even with the cameras right in their faces, they remain grounded in their characters and situations. Bakray is excellent at the centre, letting us see under her tough exterior as she hides from even her closest friends. Ali, Greyson and Stokes each offer surprising moments in reaction to Shola's betrayals. And young Kissiedu steals the show as the kinetic, super-engaged Emmanuel, who takes his own pointed odyssey.

Without ever shouting a message, the film has some powerful things to say about British society, most notably the holes in the safety-net for children. Shola's fear of the care system is palpable: she knows their first action will be to separate her from Emmanuel, and she's not wrong. And what gives the film its urgency is that she also knows there's nowhere to turn, nobody she can trust. That Gavron can tell this story in an upbeat way, recognising that life continues even in difficulty, is remarkable.

themes, language

9.Sep.20

Ultra plays Kirk as a thoughtless jerk who makes sudden decisions without warning and constantly acts out, largely due to his constant state of intoxication. It's a consistent performance, but much more cartoonish than everyone around him. By contrast, the curly ginger Gregg is solid as a likeable every-guy loving the fast life, although he looks much older than 19. The script kind of neglects his journey, but it's entertaining to experience the insanity with him. And the side roles add plenty of colourful texture.

There are some enjoyable angles to this story, playing with the ways people react to the bandmates' talent, knowing that they're far too naive to survive in such a cutthroat industry. As the story continues, the filmmakers' scruffy approach is winning enough to hold the attention, even when it begins to transition from an over-extended sketch comedy into an issue movie with a feel-good ending. A bit more balance might have made this a cult classic.

themes, language, violence

9.Sep..20

The acting styles are uneven, with Cross and Holm offering more offhanded, witty performances and everyone else behaving with a heightened sense of gloom. Fein has strong presence even with his deliberately flat voice and lost facial expressions, which skilfully indicate Jack's lack of an inner compass. And Kurtz's Liz also has a bleak internal life, haunted and a bit menacing as she begins to suspect something might be up. It's effective that Jack and Liz have extremely strained chemistry.

Despite a couple of very far-fetched plot points, there are several involving angles to the story, which touches on the impact of an economic divide on a long friendship, as well as the damage done by refusing to be honest with people you supposedly care about. But Del Principe undercooks everything, leaving the audience straining for resonance that's deeper than the "you should be shocked by this horrible situation" variety. Because what happens here isn't particularly provocative; it's just very, very sad.

themes, language, violence

7.Sep.20