Junkhearts

After reading a lot of negative reviews for this film I almost decided not to watch it. Had I not been aware of how many idiots there are on the internet I might have missed out on what turned out to be a flawed yet enjoyable film. All the characters range from pitiable to despicable and this provides the flow of the film and depressing content and although the ending came across as a little too contrived ( I had expected something a little more messy given the lives of the characters) the story for the most part seemed an accurate representation of life and rang true for a gritty realism drama. By no means perfect but well worth a watch. I would give this a 6 but as it possesses elements I have not seen expressed in film before I am going to give it a 7

Junkhearts is directed by Tinge Krishnan and written by Simon Frank. It stars Eddie Marsan, Candese Reid, Tom Sturridge and Romola Garai. Story has Marsan as Frank, an alcoholic ex-soldier suffering nightmares over an incident that saw him shoot a young mother. Frank strikes up an unlikely friendship with Lynette (Reid), a homeless girl sleeping rough on the streets. Once barriers are broken down, Frank takes Lynette into his home to stay, but it's not long before Lynette's drug dealing boyfriend comes a calling...

For the most part Junkhearts is a very gritty slice of British miserablism. The pic is populated by addicts and wannabe gangsters, in a part of London built of dingy concrete council abodes, and where single promiscuous moms struggle to keep a grip on their lives.

Director Krishnan suffered herself from PTSD, so she was on hand to ensure the great Marsan could do the role justice, while there's a refreshing street believability about young Reid's performance. The camera work is intense and deliberately intruding, with the sound work being hypnotic to add bleaker tones to the characterisations.

The harshness and hurts of addiction rings true here, as does the key betrayal plot line and the breakdown of Frank. Unfortunately the parallel plot line featuring Romola Garai undermines the grit and grime surrounding Frank and Lynette's world, and it sadly serves only to give the pic a somewhat disappointing ending. Whilst the introduction of gun and knife crime appraisals don't strike the requisite powerful chords.

Yet even with its flaws this is still an intense film, with Marsan on top form and some other technical smarts on show, it's well worth a look by anyone interested in a slice of some moody British underbelly. 7/10

This was an unexpected treat, a bunch of us were shown this movie. as part of a literature group. We are a mixed bag of folk, who have certainly seen our fair share of the kind of life experience on show here in this movie. we were told nothing of this film, but most of us agreed it was as authentic a depiction of addiction, alcoholism, crime, homelessness and p.t.s.d. (post traumatic stress disorder) as any other, in any movie ever. yeah it was ugly in places, but the beauty in i felt lay in the way that even these supposedly lowlife characters, could find some kind of dignity and redemption in their lives. I found a film full of honesty, humour and hope. a real treat indeed, the fact that the dirtector tinge came along to our humble group for the showing and a post screening discussion, also showed how the filmmaker's really cared about their creation and the audience.

Junkhearts is a gritty film set in London that starts promisingly but gets derailed due to poor execution and a muddled and derivative screenplay.

Frank (Eddie Marsan) is a reclusive ex-soldier, drunk and suffering from post traumatic stress as he is haunted by his past. He takes in a young homeless girl Lynette (Candese Reid) when she is having a spot of bother outside an off licence and she stays at his shabby flat.

At first they strike up a tentative friendship but then her boyfriend Danny turns up and also moves into the flat before long there is sex, drugs, alcohol and partying and Frank is like a prisoner in his own flat and it looks like Lynette has used him.

I just wanted Frank to knock Danny's lights out but what we get is a dreary melodrama which stems into a cliché ridden thinly plotted mess.

I couldn't recommend Junkhearts highly enough – if you only choose one film to see in 2012 I implore you to make it this one. I went to a showing of Junkhearts at The Renoir not sure quite what to expect, feeling compelled to go with a friend who had seen it advertised at the London Film Festival. I would have been satisfied simply to have been able to say I'd seen it if I'm honest. Instead I found myself completely lost in the lives of Frank and Lynette – an army veteran suffering from post traumatic stress disorder and a homeless girl from Nottingham. The story that unfolds seems bleak from the outset but it completely took my breath away. Sure it's not for the fainthearted, but it's also funny, moving and showcases a script full of wonders I didn't expect.