35 recensioni
- Theo Robertson
- 11 mag 2015
- Permalink
Let's be honest, half of audiences are probably here to see Aiden Gillen (Petyr Baelish) without his trademark medieval backstabbing. It's safe to say that he doesn't disappoint, almost the entire movie is exclusively about his character's spiraling life and his capable performance makes for a realistically brooding lead. Unfortunately, the film has agonizingly slow pace and it would be about one hour into the runtime before the thriller aspect actually plays out grippingly.
Carver (Aiden Gillen) is a father who recently lost his son. He becomes desensitizes with his surrounding, he is less invested on his job and his promiscuous side starts to show. It is about this time that he has an encounter with a gang of juvenile thugs. From trivial things, the confrontation escalates into much more harsher scuffles. The movie is a throughout reflection of the man's hidden angst and rage.
Details about his personal life, simple resentment of the more apparent tendency to drink, are appreciated. However, the excessive exposure also creates plodding in the plot, most of the subplots are too lengthy and not all of them pay off in significant way. His relationships with his best friend, ex-wife or new girls are overlapping. At times, it builds the character nicely but others the scenes might be tedious with the same rehearses theme and dialogues.
There is increasing tension later at the end. Aiden Gillen delivers a good acting as the deep occasionally sad character. This movie is more of a psychological display, it's a drama at heart, not typical crime investigation. While it has its merits, the narrative feels bland. It tries to build up into an impactful message or commentary about degeneration, but it does feel contrived as it uses unsubtle method.
Still has good acting from its lead to portray psychological deterioration, although the journey there is exhausting as the approach can be heavy-handed at times.
Carver (Aiden Gillen) is a father who recently lost his son. He becomes desensitizes with his surrounding, he is less invested on his job and his promiscuous side starts to show. It is about this time that he has an encounter with a gang of juvenile thugs. From trivial things, the confrontation escalates into much more harsher scuffles. The movie is a throughout reflection of the man's hidden angst and rage.
Details about his personal life, simple resentment of the more apparent tendency to drink, are appreciated. However, the excessive exposure also creates plodding in the plot, most of the subplots are too lengthy and not all of them pay off in significant way. His relationships with his best friend, ex-wife or new girls are overlapping. At times, it builds the character nicely but others the scenes might be tedious with the same rehearses theme and dialogues.
There is increasing tension later at the end. Aiden Gillen delivers a good acting as the deep occasionally sad character. This movie is more of a psychological display, it's a drama at heart, not typical crime investigation. While it has its merits, the narrative feels bland. It tries to build up into an impactful message or commentary about degeneration, but it does feel contrived as it uses unsubtle method.
Still has good acting from its lead to portray psychological deterioration, although the journey there is exhausting as the approach can be heavy-handed at times.
- quincytheodore
- 5 mag 2015
- Permalink
Still wants to be a dark and painful drama at it's core, of which there is no shortage in contemporary cinema. It tells the story of a father broken in spirit after the accidental death of his only son, who we only know through memory and photographs throughout the film. They seemed very close, his previous marriage has ended by the time we are introduced to him, and he turns to drink and drugs to dull the emotional pain.
There is no shortage of that angle in recent cinema but the truth is many films have done it much better than this. There is a real depth of character that Aidan Gillen brings to the screen. He's a talented actor, and of course deserving to be the center of this film, but I don't think anyone could save this movie from it's lack of real storytelling. It's a very serious topic, however the direction is very A to B to C and misses some of the most important subjects it brings to the screen. This includes gang violence in North London of which, these children portraying a violent gang seem nothing more than... well children. However, any sense of danger is missing from every scene they are in. The mother, portrayed by Amanda Mealing, tries to maintain a somewhat cordial relationship with her ex-husband, but her grief and struggle are so incidental that she may as well not have been in the film at all.
The worst crime in this film however was the lack of any real depth in what should have focused on the most heinous act in the entire movie. In it, a sexual assault occurs of such violation, that it simply dwarfs anything else that happens throughout the film. An event that drives the father to the breaking point, was used as a simple plot device designed to change directions of the main character, but should have been the main focal point of the film. The director decided to go another direction and make that terrible crime so superfluous, that it barely has any screen time at all and the viewer is not invited to see what happened to the victim by the end of the film.
An unforgivable act, but more so, unforgivable direction. You may think the plot was dark and gritty, but I think it barely touched on these themes.
5/10
There is no shortage of that angle in recent cinema but the truth is many films have done it much better than this. There is a real depth of character that Aidan Gillen brings to the screen. He's a talented actor, and of course deserving to be the center of this film, but I don't think anyone could save this movie from it's lack of real storytelling. It's a very serious topic, however the direction is very A to B to C and misses some of the most important subjects it brings to the screen. This includes gang violence in North London of which, these children portraying a violent gang seem nothing more than... well children. However, any sense of danger is missing from every scene they are in. The mother, portrayed by Amanda Mealing, tries to maintain a somewhat cordial relationship with her ex-husband, but her grief and struggle are so incidental that she may as well not have been in the film at all.
The worst crime in this film however was the lack of any real depth in what should have focused on the most heinous act in the entire movie. In it, a sexual assault occurs of such violation, that it simply dwarfs anything else that happens throughout the film. An event that drives the father to the breaking point, was used as a simple plot device designed to change directions of the main character, but should have been the main focal point of the film. The director decided to go another direction and make that terrible crime so superfluous, that it barely has any screen time at all and the viewer is not invited to see what happened to the victim by the end of the film.
An unforgivable act, but more so, unforgivable direction. You may think the plot was dark and gritty, but I think it barely touched on these themes.
5/10
- kdavies-69347
- 6 feb 2016
- Permalink
Simon Blake makes an impressive debut as the writer and director of this edgy, gritty film that is not afraid to take more chances than most. The film is very dark, very slow, and explores the tragedies that happen on the streets daily and yet in Simon's hands it is mesmerizing, largely due to the cast's credible performances.
Set in North London, 'Still' is a gritty and atmospheric thriller about the violent disintegration of a man and father. Tom Carver (Aidan Gillen) is a man stumbling blindly towards a crossroad in his life, thrown out of focus by the death of his teenage son Stephen in a hit and run accident a year earlier. His ex-wife Rachel (Amanda Mealing) moves on, a new girlfriend Christina (Elodie Yung) moves into his squalid apartment, but Tom's life as a photographer is reduced to taking school portraits and drinking excessively and using drugs with his smarmy journalist buddy Ed (Jonathan Slinger). He becomes involved in a feud with a teenage gang after a seemingly harmless collision with a young kid. As the feud becomes more horrifying, Carver's world starts to unravel forcing him to make decisions that will change his life forever. His confrontation with one of the neighborhood gang, Carl (Sonny Green), reveals secrets about his life he has not faced and drives him to perform and act he would have never considered before his son's death. The ending is a stunningly stark and long moment of truth.
Aidan Gillen is particularly fine in evolving his rather bland character into a man driven to acts by re-molded anger. The supporting cast is excellent – especially the vivid confrontation between Gillen and Sonny Green. It is a long and sad song but it has its merits.
Set in North London, 'Still' is a gritty and atmospheric thriller about the violent disintegration of a man and father. Tom Carver (Aidan Gillen) is a man stumbling blindly towards a crossroad in his life, thrown out of focus by the death of his teenage son Stephen in a hit and run accident a year earlier. His ex-wife Rachel (Amanda Mealing) moves on, a new girlfriend Christina (Elodie Yung) moves into his squalid apartment, but Tom's life as a photographer is reduced to taking school portraits and drinking excessively and using drugs with his smarmy journalist buddy Ed (Jonathan Slinger). He becomes involved in a feud with a teenage gang after a seemingly harmless collision with a young kid. As the feud becomes more horrifying, Carver's world starts to unravel forcing him to make decisions that will change his life forever. His confrontation with one of the neighborhood gang, Carl (Sonny Green), reveals secrets about his life he has not faced and drives him to perform and act he would have never considered before his son's death. The ending is a stunningly stark and long moment of truth.
Aidan Gillen is particularly fine in evolving his rather bland character into a man driven to acts by re-molded anger. The supporting cast is excellent – especially the vivid confrontation between Gillen and Sonny Green. It is a long and sad song but it has its merits.
Whenever I was away... Jobs, meetings, whatever... Whenever there was a pause, a silence, my thoughts would just drift towards him. He was always the first thing that came into my head. Sometimes the only thing.
"Still" is gray, gloomy, depressing and poignant at the same time. It shows how someone, torn by grief after the loss of his son, leads a self-destructive life and immerses himself into a downward spiral. A hopeless life with alcohol and drugs as support. The film begins with the sound of the fatal accident and snapshots of the victim. Initially, it's a character study of Tom Carver (Aidan Gillen), a freelance photographer. But gradually it evolves into a dark thriller when a seemingly harmless incident arises between Tom and a local rascal. What follows is a threatening situation full of intimidation, confrontation and criminal offenses. A situation that gradually escalates until Tom decides to take the law into his own hands. A film where the viewer wonders : "What would I do in the same situation?".
The first thing I wondered was: "How for God's sake is it possible that an individual such as Tom could get such a gorgeous girlfriend as Christina (Elodie Yung)?". And his ex-wife Rachel (Amanda Mealing) isn't exactly ugly either and has kept in touch with him. And at certain times you get the feeling that she wants him back. However, Tom looks like a drunken bum who lives in a squat-like house, somewhere in London. His destructive way of living, filled with alcohol and drugs, plus his with grief tormented spirit, aren't exactly qualities you search for when you want to start a serious relationship.
The film starts of as a character study about the person Tom. Someone who languishes at home, who visits he grave of his son regularly together with his ex and who tries to do his job. But gradually it transforms into a full-blown thriller that leads into an outright revenge film. The thriller part is the least successful part. First of all the street kids weren't really threatening at all. Initially it all started innocent with some meaningless pranks and intimidating confrontations. Tom isn't exactly a McClane-like guy, but rather a typical family man who tries to avoid aggressiveness. The reason why the gangs revenge reached such a groundbreaking peak with Christina as victim, looked pretty far-fetched. Was this an attempt to support the revenge motive? And this revenge part is another story. A horrifying moment in which you sympathize with Tom and in a way you'll understand his decision. But at the same time deep inside yourself, you'll feel something isn't right in his reasoning and his upcoming action is unacceptable.
All in all this was once again a decent British project with brilliant performances. Especially Gillen plays a magnificent part. A rendition that evokes both pity and disapproval. Meanwhile the other performances were excellent as well. A film that fits perfectly in a big city like London. Would this be a Hollywood production, it would be bigger, full of trifling action and exaggerated drama. However, it's the minimalist and restrained character that makes this movie so great. And in the end the same question came up: "What the hell would I do if I were in his shoes?"
More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT
"Still" is gray, gloomy, depressing and poignant at the same time. It shows how someone, torn by grief after the loss of his son, leads a self-destructive life and immerses himself into a downward spiral. A hopeless life with alcohol and drugs as support. The film begins with the sound of the fatal accident and snapshots of the victim. Initially, it's a character study of Tom Carver (Aidan Gillen), a freelance photographer. But gradually it evolves into a dark thriller when a seemingly harmless incident arises between Tom and a local rascal. What follows is a threatening situation full of intimidation, confrontation and criminal offenses. A situation that gradually escalates until Tom decides to take the law into his own hands. A film where the viewer wonders : "What would I do in the same situation?".
The first thing I wondered was: "How for God's sake is it possible that an individual such as Tom could get such a gorgeous girlfriend as Christina (Elodie Yung)?". And his ex-wife Rachel (Amanda Mealing) isn't exactly ugly either and has kept in touch with him. And at certain times you get the feeling that she wants him back. However, Tom looks like a drunken bum who lives in a squat-like house, somewhere in London. His destructive way of living, filled with alcohol and drugs, plus his with grief tormented spirit, aren't exactly qualities you search for when you want to start a serious relationship.
The film starts of as a character study about the person Tom. Someone who languishes at home, who visits he grave of his son regularly together with his ex and who tries to do his job. But gradually it transforms into a full-blown thriller that leads into an outright revenge film. The thriller part is the least successful part. First of all the street kids weren't really threatening at all. Initially it all started innocent with some meaningless pranks and intimidating confrontations. Tom isn't exactly a McClane-like guy, but rather a typical family man who tries to avoid aggressiveness. The reason why the gangs revenge reached such a groundbreaking peak with Christina as victim, looked pretty far-fetched. Was this an attempt to support the revenge motive? And this revenge part is another story. A horrifying moment in which you sympathize with Tom and in a way you'll understand his decision. But at the same time deep inside yourself, you'll feel something isn't right in his reasoning and his upcoming action is unacceptable.
All in all this was once again a decent British project with brilliant performances. Especially Gillen plays a magnificent part. A rendition that evokes both pity and disapproval. Meanwhile the other performances were excellent as well. A film that fits perfectly in a big city like London. Would this be a Hollywood production, it would be bigger, full of trifling action and exaggerated drama. However, it's the minimalist and restrained character that makes this movie so great. And in the end the same question came up: "What the hell would I do if I were in his shoes?"
More reviews here : http://bit.ly/1KIdQMT
- peterp-450-298716
- 30 dic 2015
- Permalink
I'm honestly surprised that this movie has such a relatively low rating. Okay, it maybe starts a little slow but then the movie completely captivated me and it stayed with me long after the credits rolled. It shows a very gritty, twisted and cruel side of the world that's shockingly realistic and all the actors do a great job. Especially Aidan Gillen was brilliant and his character development was interesting to see as he is facing a very difficult situation and has to make some difficult decisions. I'm highly recommending this movie for every thriller fan who likes to get his morals tested by a thought- provoking movie.
- thespinynorman
- 30 mag 2015
- Permalink
I don't know if the filmmaker intentionally wanted the audience not to be able to hear a word of this movie, or if everybody just whispers to each other in England, but I have never seen the movie were it was harder to hear the dialogue. Everybody in this film quietly mumbles or whispers to each other most of the time. I'm three quarters of the way through it, and I can honestly say I don't think I've understood a complete sentence of anything I've seen yet. Considering its very slow pacing, it adds up to a gigantic snoozefest occasionally punctuated by unexplained violence. it's very gritty, it seems almost like it might be an OK movie, if any of the dialogue was intelligible.
- Hal_Opinot-Pepper
- 21 ago 2015
- Permalink
- paulcreeden
- 12 ott 2015
- Permalink
Sobering tale of inner city anarchy set amidst the mean streets of modern day London.
Tom is the Everyman faced with horrific choices and propelled forward by a family tragedy.
Superb lighting and crisp dialogue illuminate this modern day fable of a good man reaching and becoming aware of his limitations.
The dystopian depiction of London is an effective narrative device, the acting solid and capable and a mood of menace is maintained throughout.
The director Simon Blake shows himself to be a capable auteur and it will be interesting to see how his muse evolves.
- nogodnomasters
- 28 set 2018
- Permalink
Love Gillen so I gave this a watch, he just barely makes this movie watchable with his own performance but aside from that the story is weak and nearly a lost cause.
- bhester0806
- 4 mar 2022
- Permalink
What makes British films British? I'm not articulate enough to write it down. I think I know what it's not, sub- Hollywood without the money and the glamour. But, I know it when I see and hear it. 'Still' is good British Filmmaking. It deals in tropes that could be in any film from anywhere, personified especially in Aidan Gillen's central character. But, there's enough charisma and wounded male pride for one to believe that women would find him attractive and that there's enough to pull you through the story to a unexpected and quietly devastating end. I'm glad I watched it. I'm intrigued to see what the director/ writer does next.
As I am a big fan of Ken Loach films, I found Still to be in the spirit of this sort of 'genre'. I was gripped by the performances and really enjoyed watching the actors. The atmosphere and tempo worked for me. I liked the social aspect of the film. The setting of the film was 'real' and did not have some unpretentious 'Hollywood' 3D effects! What a relief!! So I am always looking for a movie that gives real life depiction of social reality and this film did that. i want to see films that show my life or other peoples lives. How the system in place affects our lives externally and also our inner worlds. Good job! I will definitely recommend this film to my friends.
- genuineautonomy
- 29 nov 2014
- Permalink
First to declare a conflict of interest, I have invested in this film because I saw the original play 10 or more years before and left the theatre awestruck (still have the programme). It is 10 times better on the big screen. It was made on a ridiculously small budget but watching it you would never know, it was made by a cast and crew who knew it was a film that, given a chance, would stand out with money given with belief that this is special. It starts claustrophobic and an event of injustice maybe an inevitability as a series of meetings, conversations and events take place but throughout there is the understated complexity of what it is like to be human. Real people making choices, some good, some bad, presented so the audience can understand, empathise, be frustrated and care. It is gripping. The performances all do the film justice, in particular the women and the two male leads (Aiden Gillen excelled). Watch with a few friends, I guarantee you will disagree on why which character did what when they did and you will want to watch it again (just to check you were right, but maybe you weren't?)
Great movie - beautifully shot and very well cast and acted. I loved that it's mostly set in King's Cross and I loved the colour palate - the colours reflect the conflicts - dark and menacing at times. Orange night skies - do you see that outside of London? It felt very real. You feel caught up in the story from the very beginning, you want everything to work out for the best but you fear the worst. It's a well told story, you don't like everything about the characters or what happens to them and how they react to certain situations but you can't look away - you find yourself rooting for a happy ending - you care about what happens. It's a difficult film to watch in parts but it's well worth it - my friends and I were talking about various aspects of the movie days later. If it weren't for the redemptive ending - an epiphany that leads to reconnection with compassion and humanity, it would be a hard film to handle. Very powerful. I want to watch it again. Cx
- catherine-170-260927
- 25 nov 2014
- Permalink
STILL is a brilliant edgy drama that explores the psychological breakdown of a man following a devastating loss in his life. With North London as a backdrop and essentially acting as another character in this wonderful film, STILL represents the best of new British cinema. Written and directed by the highly innovative and original Simon Blake, this film packs a heavy punch and leaves a deep impact upon viewing. The cinematography in this film is superb, the acting first class.(Aiden Gillen is first class as the character Carver and he is supported admirably by a strong supporting cast throughout. This is the type of film that will get people talking, a wonderful piece of work. Highly recommended.
Brilliant socio-realist drama. Not only are the actor's performances incredibly gripping but the colour palette and the London locale illustrates the characters very real, internal struggles. From the setting to the script, it is astonishing how accurate Simon Blake portrays the lives of both adults and youths, especially in this day and age – the narrative really makes you think about yourself and about others. I was particularly impressed and amazed by the cinematography which tells the harrowing story of a man in psychological breakdown, in a creative and unique way. The film will take you on an emotional roller-coaster where the grim nature of some scenes are incredibly hard-hitting and will leave an imprint on your memory. Definitely recommend watching this film.
- gambinialejandra
- 12 mar 2016
- Permalink
A potent and poignant first feature by director Simon Blake and a memorable performance from Tom Carver (played by Aiden Gillen). Gripping from the start 'Still' shows us the fortunes and most unhappy malice that plagues this mans life.
There's a real connection to the script and no character is left behind. Strong performances from the leading cast who lay bare moments of tension and emotion. Searching the dark streets of London, there is some brilliant cinematography and acting.
Reminiscent Of Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle both Tom Carver and Ed's (Jonathan Slinger) catchy performances draw you into the reality of the victim turned vigilante. 'Still' portrays the suffering of the protagonist, in a very real world view, his life on culluloid shares his powerlessness and frustration that keeps you in the film till the end.
There's a real connection to the script and no character is left behind. Strong performances from the leading cast who lay bare moments of tension and emotion. Searching the dark streets of London, there is some brilliant cinematography and acting.
Reminiscent Of Taxi Driver's Travis Bickle both Tom Carver and Ed's (Jonathan Slinger) catchy performances draw you into the reality of the victim turned vigilante. 'Still' portrays the suffering of the protagonist, in a very real world view, his life on culluloid shares his powerlessness and frustration that keeps you in the film till the end.
- TheLastHun
- 21 feb 2015
- Permalink
A gripping thriller that describes the slow loss of control of a man over his life during a short space of time, as he grieves for his dead son and a chance encounter with a local gang member.
I went into the cinema to watch this with little knowledge or fore-warning of how demanding this would; the emotion, the drama, the violence.
Thoroughly watchable and fascinating, this film takes you on a roller-coaster of London and the characters that inhabit the urban landscape.
A wonderful piece of debut film from Blunt Pictures and Producer Colette Delaney Smith, this has won many awards - and rightly so! I look forward with much anticipation to their follow up work.
I went into the cinema to watch this with little knowledge or fore-warning of how demanding this would; the emotion, the drama, the violence.
Thoroughly watchable and fascinating, this film takes you on a roller-coaster of London and the characters that inhabit the urban landscape.
A wonderful piece of debut film from Blunt Pictures and Producer Colette Delaney Smith, this has won many awards - and rightly so! I look forward with much anticipation to their follow up work.
- anshulsahib
- 31 mag 2015
- Permalink