Cracks in the Ceiling

A young man is lying in bed and wakes up to find his father has entered the room and is sitting at the end of the bed. They make awkward small talk for a little bit but soon their conversation becomes more than that, something deeper.

The story here is quite simple and the twists that we aren't told are quite easy to guess in broad terms but it still manages to be interesting and engaging. The dialogue is a bit difficult to get into and find narrative in but yet it remains interesting and engaging. The direction is simple and thankfully happy to sit back and observe the chat in the simple set, but yet it remains interesting and engaging. Why then? Simply because the film is driven forward by two great performances from real life father and son Lee and Gordon Ingleby. Together they have such a convincing relationship that I was instantly held – they get that "reluctant, awkward love" thing between the father/son just spot on.

Meanwhile the son really does a great job with his dialogue and showing the turmoil in his head. Lee Ingleby will probably be known to many as the thug in Spaced who stole Tim's weed, he was funny then but here he shows real ability and he is the main reason the film held me. The plot and the ending are not all they could have been, and the writing could have done more with his performance but he and his dad hold these cracks together and make it work. Worth seeing for the performances.