Londres Proibida

Gritty Dramas are not usually my thing, but I saw this by chance and was very impressed by it. It's nearly impossible to make a first feature film. It's nearly impossible to make it good on as tight a budget as this was obviously shot on. The fact that it was made in such a short time is also another factor to be considered. And my consideration, after taking all these factors in to account is, this is brilliant! It is a strong story with plenty of moral interest, it has strong performances and a nicely done twist. I wish Paul every success with whatever he does next! He is a directing and writing talent to watch out for!

The quiet in a London toilet is broken at 03:07 when a woman and a girl burst into it beaten and crying. The elder, Kelly, puts young Joanne into one of the cubicles and goes to get train tickets and some food. Not long after they are on a train to Brighton and safety. Meanwhile back in London, the cold criminal Stuart Allen makes it painfully clear to small time pimp Derek that he wants Kelly and Joanne brought to him.

I heard that this film was very grim stuff and as a result I skipped it in the cinemas, although I was "helped" in this decision by how quickly it came and went in the cinema. Watching it now I have to say that it is a shame that the film did not get more viewers because it an incredibly well delivered thriller set in a world of pimps and gangsters. This aspect could represent a turn-off to many viewers who perhaps have had enough of Lock Stock copycats in the British cinema, but rest assured that it is far from being that type of thing. Where some films revel in the gangster cliché, this film presents it unflinchingly as a cruel world of violence, grime and exploitation populated by those with few choices and no hope. This is convincingly delivered and it puts the viewer right into it to the point where I did feel uncomfortable and trapped.

The story is simple and what makes it so impressive is how it is delivered rather than just what happens. The strength of the film is in the edit, which brings out the story in a flashback structure that works very well. It allows for a strong finish and consistent tension that runs across both timelines of the film equally. What is almost as impressive as the edit are the performances that Williams gets from his cast; they are natural and convincing and all the bleaker for it. Stanley is brilliant as someone morally disgusted by her world but equally unable to think of anything else available to her. Groome is just as good and is heartbreaking in the way she moves from a child to an adult between scenes, with a confidence that is only on the surface. Harris is suitably morally bankrupt – a real "bad man", not a criminal with presence and power but the sort of man who would beat you for looking at him. Allen is a harder character because he does have to be a "crime lord" in this story of small fish but Spruell does pretty well to hold back and be a menacing force driving the story.

London to Brighton is not a cheerful film but it is a gripping thriller set in a convincing world of dirt and grubby people. The actors all convince and succeed in making us care for people giving £10 oral sex behind skips in the street but it is the structure and delivery of the story that makes it as good as it is, drawing tension simultaneously from both timelines of the same narrative. Grim but well worth it.

The plot of London to Brighton is simple, the budget minimal, the actors and writer/director unknown. But the result is an unexpectedly captivating movie.

London to Brighton follows a prostitute and a young run-away as they flee from their recent past: From London to Brighton, no less. Through a well-balanced series of flashbacks, we gradually learn how they came to be running. The movie's tension slowly builds as those who are chasing them draw closer. The premise isn't revolutionary, but the delivery is robust. Half the characters spend half the time not knowing what is happening around them. Like the best thrillers, there is still enough to keep the audience guessing right to the end.

The movie is underscored by a very British portrayal of urban mob violence - gritty and selectively brutal, with language to match. The characters are explored just enough to give the movie some depth.

The issues contained within the movie are morally challenging. While there is little explicit sexual content, the mere context will be enough to make some viewers uncomfortable. It would be easy to impose "middle-class" morality, but fortunately that doesn't happen. Instead the characters react only at the extremes: The prostitute with misgivings about sex involving very young children; not the prostitute with misgivings about prostitution.

London to Brighton is notable because it places a 13 year old actor in one of the leading roles. The performance is raw and the look of innocence genuine. Yet she portrays events and emotions that she can have no experience of with disturbing competence. To paraphrase the director, "she certainly won't be allowed to see the film when it released in the cinema".

The movie is rough round the edges. It drags in places. Sometimes the acting doesn't quite convey all the emotions it could do. It is easy to find fault in the detail. But overall London to Brighton is an impressive first feature by 'Paul Andrew Williams' and most of the cast.

London to Brighton (2006)

A harrowing story, a real descent into a little sliver of the streetwalking underworld of London and the perils of little rich girls who run away from home. I don't mean to make light of any of it--the movie pulls no punches, and adds some that go beyond the usual violence, too--but this is one of those recent stories where a terrible situation is imagined, and then filmed with awful realism. The two tracks, the plot with its significance, and the raw, visceral reaction to seeing anything so horrible, are both played out to the max. And acting is really first rate. The bad guys are really sneeringly awful, and the two key females, a full grown but struggling prostitute and a young girl who gets swept up in it all, are so believable it's scary. And impressive.

And none of this is enough for a great movie. It makes for an intense experience, and there's no rule that says a movie has to be enjoyable (this is totally not enjoyable in the usual sense). But there is little here that reveals or probes, there is little of what you might call art, or nuance, or originality. It's not exactly a formula, yet, this kind of abuse in your living room, but I think it will be. There are several I've seen recently, the one that comes to mind is Julia. In both movies, young children are victims and it's difficult to really watch without detaching and looking around the living room and reminding yourself this is fiction, these are actors, don't worry.

Terrible things happen in the world, of course, and worse things. But I'm not sure we need to see them. It's like becoming an emergency room doctor because you are fascinated with suffering and blood. Movies should be like doctors, then (to stretch the metaphor) and have some purpose to them beyond wallowing.

And beyond representation. I think accurate representation is the simple motive behind the filming. The director (in this case with a short resume--I've never heard of him) makes it vivid, fast, and very real. In that sense he succeeded. But this realism could have been a means to a greater effect, a higher intention, something that takes the viewer somewhere. Anywhere.

The fact that the Edinburgh International Film Festival bestowed their New Director award on Paul Andrew Williams is a solid enough indicator of the strengths and unique qualities of London TO BRIGHTON. Admittedly made on a shoe-string budget, and cast with relative unknowns, the film never once looks cheap or out of its depth. I was amazed when I saw it at Edinburgh by just how tough and unflinching a portrayal of the criminal underworld it is. The leads put in tremendous performances that will surprise many, and William's writing is exceptional. The film really zips along through its 90min length, and pulls the viewer in to a lock-tight embrace. In my opinion this film is one of the highlights of the year so far and a real find for the British film industry. For a first-time director working on a tiny budget, getting five star reviews in the Guarduan and Scotsman, and great praise from the Times is a hell of an achievement. I hope other people who love British cinema see it when it is theatrically released.