Ellen

I liked the premise and theme behind this film which is touched upon at the beginning and end but the bits inbetween were boring. There were no new ideas with this film - everything screamed posh privileged film school grad trying to make a film a about a hard done by working class girl who lives on a council estate. Its a great immitation of shane meadows but lacks its own voice.

Ellen was written by Sarah Quintrell, and directed by Mahalia Belo.The star characters of the film are Jessica Barden(Ellen), Yasmin Monet Prince(Kayla), Joe Dempsie(Jason), Jaime Winstone(Ellens Mum), Charlie Creed-Miles(Leon). You can watch Ellen on channel 4 as it's a one- time exclusive.

The story is about a 14-year-old girl(Ellen) growing up in a council home in south-east London. Ellen has been expelled from school and with an unsupportive family behind her, she decides to take full control of her life however this proves to be more difficult than it seems. With Ellen trying to find her way through life she finds two friends. Kayla who attended her previous school who is 14 also. And Jason a man in his mid 20-30s who is a friend of Ellens mums boyfriend, Leon. These two characters help Ellen in the walk of life by supplying happiness and support however you will not be able to comprehend the heartbreaking ending.

Ellen successfully shows how youths can be exploited and groomed with hardly any effort in today's society. It informs us on how important it is to keep children protected as they can easily be misled.

I believe you should go and watch Ellen for yourself as it has a heart touching story with highly intense drama sense throughout.

The 24 years old Jessica Barden played a 14 year old Ellen in this film. Anyway, she looks so young, fitted to portray the role and in the end she did good. The film was about a school dropout teenage girl whose family is not really supportive to her on anything. So she decides to take full control of her life, but does not know where to begin. It opened with a question asked and ended with the same line. What happens in between is what the film narrates for us as she embark to realise where she really ended.

It is a British television film. Feels like a random narration, like not moving in a particular direction. But you will get how much Ellen was frustrated with her life and the people surrounding her. Because they are with their own agenda, especially her mother's new boyfriend. Except one of her neighbours, who is friendly and helping hand whenever she needed one, but a bit older than her whom she has a crush. So in the remaining part, you will witness some unexpected developments.

Why I did not like it more is for what the film disclosed at the end. I really did not know what this film was about and I surprised how they concluded it. In our society, things like this happening, but I did not like it to end in a wrong way just to highlight the issue. Other than that, this is a good film, I surely suggest it to the others, mainly because nothing was shown in it as whatever the intentions were in the film plot.

6/10

The heightened tragedy Ellen (2016), a one-off drama on channel 4, which I believe was beautifully written and directed by Sarah Quintrell and Mahalia Belo. It is set in south east London and directed at teenagers and adults and highlights concerns in society today.

The main character Ellen, played by Jessica Barden, adheres to the archetype of chavs in a gritty portrayal of life in an urban estate. Clothed in the stereotypical knocked off trainers, clothes and living in a council house. With a discouraging, dysfunctional family and no father figure she is forced to grow up quickly. As a consequence, she is exposed to such explicit things at a young age – drugs and alcohol.

Underage sex and grooming are the two moral panics presented in this drama as the vulnerable teenager is taken advantage of by the one person who she had confided in after the death of a loving family member. To me the camera angles were very ambiguous throughout the short film, however this maybe a deliberate act to show Ellen's uncertainty towards relationships as with best friend Kayla who we establish just wants the best for Ellen. Also, the feeling of despair she carries as she is dissatisfied with her life and people within it. Another critique of the film would be the ending as I believe it did not disclose much, therefore we do not exactly know what happens to Ellen.

I admired how the film opens with a question which foreshadows what occurs at the end of the film. This added dramatic tension to the story by building anticipation about what might happen next. I would recommend it to others as I believe it raises awareness of young people in our society who are disregarded when going through such events.

This Intelligent British 'Reality' movie speaks to the angst of female adolescence, amidst alienation, poverty, and single parent homes. Love is confused and unrequited. Sex is wrong, and barely comprehended. Friendship is everything, and there is delight in this sharing of life's moments. Delight in the simple fact that the sharing of life's moments gives them enough meaning, to turn them into memories to treasure. Money can't buy this quality of life, and in fact, it's the lack of money and familial security, that brings the living into such keen focus. The variables are reduced to simple basics, so choice is limited to deal or no deal. There's a typically restrained British whimsy about this story, but also a refreshingly bright vision, with pastel shades of surrealism. The two female characters create their own life-pod thought-bubble to insulate them from the troubles in their lives, and this IS the story, and the secret of it's power to captivate. Writer Sarah Quintrell richly deserved the accolades and awards for her writing work in Ellen, and clearly she found a huge advocate and ally in Director - Mahalia Belo; who along with Producer - Ben Bickerton, may just have created a sublimely subtle, future British classic. The magic is in the blend of story and characters. Jessica Barden's (Ellen), fire and rage is perfect chemistry for Yasmin Monet Prince's (Kayla) calm and warmth. Both are wise souls, but suffering loss and tragedy from different enough angles to understand, yet still support each other. This is a tender and sweet telling of adventure in the face of vulnerability, and hope in the faces of the broken hearted. Simply Lovely.