Being a regular attendee of the British Urban Film Festival, it was at last years 'short' season (2017) where I saw this film, 'Remembrance Day'.
It begins, fairly innocuously, in a public house somewhere in London, where ageing and recently released prisoner Frank Wilcox (Brian Croucher) is interrupted mid-booze by an eager young journalist. Convinced there is a scoop to be had about Franks former far-right activities and the fact he may actually have been framed for the racial attack he has just served ten years for, she encounters a wall of silence.
Enter Kofi and Rico, the latter seeking revenge on Frank for his alleged bullying and racist taunts of his father years before. The plot quickly takes a sharp U-turn as detectives Murphy and Rollings cruise the local estate seeking to solve a recent murder which lead them to Franks door . .
I had no idea of the story of this short film (nor any of the other entrants) so was amazed at how engaging this became in it's first two minutes. Veteran actor Brian Croucher delivers a nice performance as the central character, although admirable and stand out support is given by the entire cast.
With a running time of only 17 minutes, this film does not dither with its plot development and races along at breakneck speed to the shocking conclusion which left this viewer certainly wanting more!
Special mention was given to the writing of this film at BUFF, with the dialogue particularly authentic and real. A few of the scenes were totally improvised by the cast which only adds to the air of gritty realism - although you'd never know which scenes were and were not scripted.
Whenever film makers decide to tackle a subject as relevant and serious as racism there is usually some underlying morality strand which can leap out at the viewer with the subtlety of a sledgehammer - 'Remembrance Day' does not follow suit. It allows the viewer to decide their own views on the subject and make up their own minds. This is where it excels. It does not preach yet all the points are made and from several perspectives. Add to that an uncertain ending which indicates that maybe, sometimes, we just never learn.
