Bypass

George MacKay is still stellar as always. He became that character. His hurt, guilt, confusion, sorrow are all very real in the film and guy feel it. Also his physical transformation as a youth with an undisclosed illness is so heartbreaking. You can see that he slimed down quite a bit to play the role. Unfortunately Duane's "poet/dreamlike/arthouse" sequences, lack of dialogue, lazy directing, terrible editing and drawn out visuals really take you out of the experience and emotion and it just works against the film. I get that the filmmakers wanted to convey the bleakness of it all in a very artistic fashion but it just didn't work story wise. Such a shame because George is such a talented actor.

In a cinematic landscape dominated by superhero franchises, BYPASS provides a platform for the kind of characters the peerless Alan Clarke regularly gave a voice too. Set in a community that has been decimated by industrial decline, the film follows Tim (George MacKay) as he struggles to hold the last fragments of his family together. Much like Jérémie Renier's character in L'Infant (2005), Tim lives on the fringes of society and survives through petty crime. When faced with the reality of losing his family home, Tim is left with no option but to follow the path that led is older brother (Benjamin Dilloway) to jail – and his circumstances are further complicated by his rapidly deteriorating health.

Although BYPASS is set amongst a social-realist landscape, Hopkin's has infused Tim's world with a striking aesthetic - were dialogue is sparse and the cinematography and sound design propel the narrative. David Proctor's cinematography is beautiful, and as Tim's life spirals out of control the imagery carefully immerses the audience in his increasingly desperate situation. As the central protagonist George MacKay (FOR THOSE IN PERIL, SUNSHINE ON LEITH, PRIDE) is a revelation, and his scenes with Lester (Matt Cross) in particular, bristle with tension and menace.

BYPASS isn't what David Fincher calls popcorn cinema; it demands its audience to engage with its themes, and asks them to reflect long after they have left the cinema

BYPASS is a confident and provocative film which despite another 5 years of potential privatisation, is optimistic for its characters futures. If you truly care about British independent cinema then please ignore the critics, watch BYPASS on VoD* and make up your own mind

*http://www.bypassthefilm.co.uk/

Watching Bypass really brought me into the lives and experiences of Tim and Lilly, played respectively by George Mackay and Charlotte Spencer. The feeling of being helpless to whatever fate befalls you is enduring, and a reflection on the current malaise of Britain's youth who have been abandoned by today's ambitious, quick fix society. The film was well crafted, with excellent cinematography, soundtrack and foley that helped to create the atmosphere and prevailing sense of unease, and which was complemented excellently by the superb performance of George Mackay, and actor who will surely achieve great things. There is no generic start or ending to Tim's story, but a snippet of the lives of the characters that surround him, and it leaves you with a feeling of compassion for the characters and their future.

'A Britain within a Britain' - Bypass is a film that captures the life of those in a post-industrial world. Where Thatcher's legacy is the choice between going hungry or sleeping in a cold room.

I found this film to be a breath of fresh air and a step down a path British cinema hasn't delved for far too long. Portrayals of the working class have become a rarity and austerity has become the norm. To find a film that isn't another form of escapism but has the bravery to point the camera at our own lives should be applauded.

Third Films always reward those that delve deeper into their work, and Bypass is no exception, it is rife with metaphors and solemn themes that act as the undercurrent within the film, adding gravity to the choices Tim must make.

The narrative picks up a swift pace, coupled with the striking cinematography of David Procter, I found myself being pulled through some intense scenes, especially when Tim's illness (a reflection of the world he lives in) begins to take hold. Each pause from the action only adds to the weight on Tim's shoulders which builds and builds to a climactic finish.

George Mackay delivers a performance that makes it hard not to sympathise with Tim's plight, making it hit home that Bypass' setting isn't diegetic, but a place many of us live in.

An incredibly fluid narrative which powerfully portrays the on-going confusion and despair faced on a daily basis by the central character. Whilst the people out to get him continually change, his living in perpetual fear and anxiety doesn't. The radical approach to the storytelling feels exciting and original, adding a very believable, claustrophobic feel to a life lived in a grim reality. There is nothing Tim can do and nowhere he can go to change his situation because, like the audience, at no point does he have the whole picture. Instead he has to deal with everything that is thrown at him without any support or understanding. The performances are excellent and the film is a devastating watch.