moricious1

I sought Treacle Jr out at the London Film Festival, on the strength of The Low Down.

What stands out is the intensity of the two lead performances. Gillen shows some very impressive range. Going 180 % from from playing the Mayor of Baltimore to a desperate and guileless character like this. While Tom Fisher plays off him very effectively as a credible and fairly sympathetic man, who is clearly out of his depth and dealing with major emotional problems of his own.

The early scenes, where Tom tries to gently deflect Aiden's advances, without being unkind, came off as very well judged and authentic. Tom's growing connection to Aiden, which develops into instincts of protectiveness, was very believably handled and well paced.

The film's low-key visual approach and use of gentle observational humour help carry it along smoothly. In summary, Treacle Jr is a very engaging watch if you like performance driven films.