Somers Town

After seeing Shane Meadows brilliant,but unsettling previous film, 'This Is England',I wondered how is he going to top himself with this one? The answer comes in the form of 'Somers Town',a gritty,grainy black & white film (with colour inserts) with a real "do it yourself" (or,D.I.Y.)look to it, that wears it's heart on it's sleeve. The story concerns two teen aged boys,Tomo (played by Thomas Turgoose,from 'This Is England'),a homeless lad that managed to escape a harrowing home life in the north-Midlands to run wild in the streets of London, and Marek (played by newcomer Piotr Jagiello),a young lad, who is living with his divorced father,Mariusz (played by Ireneusz Czap),both immigrants from Poland living in London. Tomo & Marek meet under some dubious circumstances,with Marek not liking Tomo much at first,but the two forge an uneasy friendship,fall in love with the same woman (a French waitress,Maria,played by Elisa Lasowski),and generally become B.F.F's (best friends forever). Paul Fraser writes a heartfelt screenplay about two opposites that overcome odds to find friendship (Tomo is easily the most unlikely to be able to even have a friend,due to his scrappy nature,while Marek is lonely,due to his father's hard drinking with his co-workers). Natasha Braier's kitchen sink,black & white/colour photography (shot in monochrome HD)gives this film it's character look,and the crisp editing really works to give this film the kudos it deserves. Not rated,but contains some rude language,sexual content & a rather nasty gang beating inflicted on the young Tomo by a street gang

Others have written that this film is a cute coming-of-age platonic love story. Well, that's one way of viewing the film. Another more direct reading is to look at the relationships between the white English and the immigrants (Polish and French). Both sets of people are portrayed somewhat stereotypically. The white English are Del Boy wideboys, lazy, rude, chavlike, selfish, self-centred, always on the scrounge, moaning, violent, loutish and drunk. The immigrants are decent hard-working people with a moral compass, who know what's right and what's wrong. Despite these stereotypical characters, this is an amazingly powerful film.

I'm a white middle-class English man and I've spent a lot of my life living in inner cities (London, Manchester, Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Milton Keynes). You know what? - these stereotypes rang (frighteningly) true to me. The film captured many of my frustrations with the way that the English national culture has changed; less tolerant, less considerate, less welcoming, more something-for-nothing. This is England today. The film made me feel ashamed of what we have become.

I left the cinema saddened; thinking that England could once again become a great country to live in if only we could remove all the bloody English.

Short, compact, yet rich with satisfaction: this film encompassing some beautiful moments to take with you and treasure. Shot in black & white, this film scores for being simple, yet moving, deep and unique.

In a world of blockbusters and 2 hour feature films, this short, simple indie film came as a welcome relief. It was 'bite-sized' if you can attribute that phrase. In other words digestible: it had a pleasantly warming message of friendship and the beauty of human emotions. Therefore perfect to consume on a quiet sunny afternoon.

By not being too long, this film does not loose out in being concise, it feels like every short scene is of real value to the story. This creates a pleasant pace and means the audience is kept enticed and captivated. Interwoven in this storyline and despite its brief nature, Meadows is still able to weave in thought-provoking shots and sequences to really underline the nature of social study.

Overall it is indeed a little gem, not to be left to gather dust on the shelf. Its one of those movies you could watch on a typical afternoon in the house to give you a satisfying feeling of wholeness.

Very impressive: 83/100

This story has Tomo, a young teen (apparently homeless) from Nottingham coming to London. He lands in the area of London known as Somers Town and his first encounter has him being robbed and beaten by three young toughs. Tomo encounters Marek, a young Polish immigrant, in a local café. The aggressive and outgoing Tomo and the shy, lonely Marek make for an improbable match, but they gradually become fast friends.

One of the delights of the film is in its capturing the close friendship between the two boys. Both boys are taken with a somewhat older French waitress in the café where they met (Tomo remarks several times how "fit" she is). Emotions run high among these three. Older viewers will likely be reminded of how intensely life is experienced when young.

At seventy minutes this has the structure of a short story. Things progress with sweetness and gentle humor until a powerfully dramatic scene between Marek and his father is inserted toward the end.

Most of the movie is filmed in black and white. Indeed the photographic contrast is dramatic, giving the impression that there are not many shades of gray to take the edge off the black and white.

The soundtrack contains original music by Gavin Clark that adds much to the experience. The song, "When We had Faces" enhances the charming final scenes, leaving you on a high as the film closes.

Shane Meadows' new release, Somers Town, has received mixed reviews in the British press. The film has received criticism for its source of funding, having been developed with the funding of Eurostar from a promotional short to a fully-fledged feature. But beyond this, Somers Town has been criticised for being short, inconclusive and too whimsical in handling its grim subject matter. I would contend that although the style of Meadows sits rather awkwardly with the involvement of Eurostar, the film itself is a triumph: funny, intelligent and poignant.

Set in an area of inner city London near the construction site of the new Eurostar train terminal, the film follows the fortunes of two young boys from troubled backgrounds. Tomo, played by Thomas Thurgoose, arrives in London on a train from Nottingham, having run away from home. He never lets on about where he came from, and when asked he says that there is 'nothing' there. When Tomo reaches London he is soon set upon by a gang of youths. The camera moves uncomfortably close to Tomo and the bullying youths and the subsequent chase and beating set a dark undertone for the rest of the film. Thurgoose is superb in this lead role, cheeky, rude even, but charming and disarming – a far cry from the youths who attack him in the film's opening.

Tomo crosses paths with Marek (played by Piotr Jagiello), a young Polish immigrant living with his father, Marius. Marius is working long hours on the building site of the future Eurostar terminal and Marek is listless in his absence, roving the streets of London with his camera until he bumps into the disruptive Tomo. The two boys, though from very different backgrounds, are essentially rootless, and soon become friends. Together they vie for the attention of Maria, the beautiful waitress working in a local café, leading to some of the happiest scenes in the film. They also help out budding salesman Graham, a slightly absurd and very amusing Del Boy character.

The dialogue amongst the characters in Somers Town is excellent, often hilarious but at times sad and moving. Thurgoose delivers his lines with a sharp wit and the film is at its funniest when the two boys compete for the affection of Maria. The darker scenes in the film, including the attack on Tomo and the falling-out between Marek and Marius, are believably portrayed and equally engaging. Where the dialogue flags is where the new Eurostar terminal – and the accompanying ideas of travel and escape – work their way into the story. It is difficult to disregard the source of funding for the film and it is at these points in the film that there is a vague whiff of product placement.

Nevertheless, it seems that Shane Meadows has used the creative licence afforded to him to re-work the original short film idea into a distinctive work. Although his film runs to only 75 minutes it does not feel insubstantial or inconclusive – quite the contrary. The wistful, poignant ending throws light on the preceding film and affirms the themes of rootlessness, despair and dreams of escape.

With the wealth of Hollywood blockbusters and fine foreign-language films being produced this year it has been easy to overlook the films emerging closer to home, but this superb film has made me sit up and look for more British cinema.