Away

Hi, saw this film at Edinburgh film festival and it knocked my socks off. I cried and laughed. Juno Temple and Tim Spall are amazing in it, those eyes staring down from the big screen (Juno's!) and Spall is very convincing in his wretched situation. Great story and how it's told is really clever as it's not straight forward like you might get with a Hollywood Blockbuster: You get fed elements of the story as small morsels along the way to always keep you enthralled. The scenery also makes me want to go to Blackpool too so a good advert there for them! A man in the audience commented on how he always cries at the drop of a hat at films but he knows it must be powerful as his wife who never ever cries at films was crying buckets.

This movie centers around the bond between two lost souls - one driven by guilt, the other by desparation. Both are painfully lonely, yet seemingly unaware of this fact. This movie does start off slowly - but people are complex, especially these characters, so it would not be realistic to have them immediately portrayed. The young woman has experienced much hardship, yet remains optimistic - too optimistic considering the role that life has handed her. Spall is incredible as one of the most tortured souls portrayed in a film. Be patient with this movie - their pasts are gently rolled out and only then do we barely begin to understand how they ended up in their current emotional states. The soundtrack was dreadful - much too powerful a movie - it needed a powerful soundtrack,

Life is anything but fun in Blackpool,"the Vegas of the North", for the wildly different leading characters in this roller-coaster story of unlikely friendship. Seedy, middle-aged Joseph (Timothy Spall) and tarty teenage Ria (Juno Temple) are both in pain, seeking escape amongst the neon lights and seagulls. His unwilling response to her emotional need turns into recognition that he likes her and that their conditions are similar, leading to a shocking, very moving climax. Spall's curmudgeon is a bit overdone and unintelligible at times; Temple is convincing as the hard-shelled victim of 21st century drug culture, and their interplay is delightful to watch. This is a poignant, entertaining drama reminiscent of classic British films such as "Poor Cow" and "Up the Junction" but with a modern edge. Terrific music too!

North western England, young Ria (Temple) runs away from an abusive man with his stash of cocaine. She hides out in Blackpool hoping to find a way to sell the stash so she and her best friend can get on with their lives away from drugs and abuse. There she meets Joseph (Spall), a run down older man who has only thoughts of killing himself because of something in his recent past. The two bond, they somehow feel safe with one another. Inevitably the abuser Dex (Ryan) finds out where she is and it comes to a showdown on the shores of Blackpool.

This was a good story, not fully original but everyone who makes one of these puts their own spin on it. I hadn't heard of any of the actors but not surprising as it is a British film and that certainly didn't stop me from watching it. The film moved along a bit slow at first and I kept getting a bit confused with all the flashbacks that were happening and there were a lot of them. Closer to the end the flashbacks started making sense.

No CGI here, wasn't needed and if there were I certainly couldn't see it. It was just a story about drugs and abuse and two opposites who form an unlikely friendship. It was enjoyable and emotional, I likely won't see it twice but I'm not sorry I watched it.

I thoroughly enjoyed this film. In today's continuously challenging world , it hit some very strong chords with me. So often new films today seem to have little to say, often the same old story lines with slight twists. However, this really got me thinking about life, it's complexities and the reality of the difficulties so many people face. Life's journey is never simple, and every so often a film is released that captures something special ...I think it will be very popular, especially with people who enjoy films that have more to them than the basic Hollywood stuff...some seriously good acting, and music fab.actually the music was superb! The story line has the ability to remind one that ,although you may have your own issues and challenges, you are not alone. In today's environment so many people face daily survival and this film reminded me , there are many in the same boat. I think it's a must see ,and is a film one could watch more than once to really capture its powerful symbolism .