Snow in Paradise

Having lived my prime during the 'noughties' British lads film renaissance era, I couldn't help but think of this title as the last few of its kind before the genre fizzled out.

I personally didn't view this as a 'cockney gangster movie' but also an expression of mental health, childhood scars, PTSD, predators, victims, class divide, all while the film subtly reveals the growing pains of urban gentrification in the London borough of Hackney.

I'm not sure why it scored so low - I suspect fans of this genre were anticipating something else. Perhaps the religious aspect was slightly overdone, perhaps the dialogue could have been more, perhaps it came across a little too fluffy at times.

I can understand it's one of those films that isn't going to grip everyone. It's an emotional film that requires connection with the viewer to truly resonate.

Huge credit to Schmidt, and co-stars Spinx and Askew - the casting was great, I can't imagine they were working with a huge budget. I do believe this will age well, perhaps even become somewhat of a cult classic in several decades to come.

Would I recommend it?

Hell yes!

Dave has aspirations to be a player in the London gangland scene. He brings his mate Tariq along on his first big job, partly to help Tariq out, possibly to massage his own narcissistic ego. The decision to involve Tariq has deadly consequences. Despite the attempt to present Islam in a positive light, and the psychotic nods to Requiem For A Dream, this film is basically just more cockneys on crack waving guns. The Curzon Film World DVD minimalist functions (e.g no extras) further destroys the experience by having no subtitles. The Mockney 'nahfink dahn ma san' dialogue could certainly benefit from them, especially when the soundtrack starts up in tandem with dialogue. One key exchange, when Dave confronts his Uncle Jimmy while carrying a concealed knife, is impossible to hear. Dave seems to want to be a player but makes an elementary, idiotic mistake on his first job. He ridicules Islam but converts a nanosecond later. The last shot too deliberately opts for non-resolution. It feels like Guy Ritchie directing an extended episode of Minder. That is not a compliment.

I usually don't write reviews for movies, but this movie really deserved the praise that it should get for a low budge film out of the U.K. The acting superb and the plot was just as nice. But in all honesty the film could have been better, but what its worth its still a good movie to see. Don't let the other poor reviews disuade you in not watching this film. It has potential and with more money it could have been excellent. The main thing which is liked about this film was really the acting from the actors I never heard of. The main character has his is ups and downs, and the movie does an excellent job of show casing it.

Don't just take my word for it, give it a try and watch it! Cheers!

The synopsis of this indie film is that our main man, Dave, is a petty criminal who works for his rather unsavoury uncle – Jim. He does this by running errands and being a lower rank foot soldier. He also likes a taste of the goods now and then too as it's always drugs in with crime. He has a best mate in Tariq – who says 'Bruv' at the end of nigh on every sentence which becomes more annoying than a car alarm.

Well Dave messes up and Tariq pays the price – then in a pique of remorse Dave runs off and discovers Islam; but the past was always going to catch up with him. Now despite that synopsis the Islam part is actually downplayed and is only one of the many facets that go to make this film actually work. The acting is all very strong Martin Askew as Uncle Jimmy is completely terrifying and actually co-wrote this too. The camera work is very good and tries really hard to have art-house shots and it pulls it off convincingly.

There is some violence and it is nasty but it is very tastefully done – in that it is mostly off screen. Many indie crime Brit films have been of poor quality lately this I am glad to say is one that raises the bar and shows what can be done with a decent script and a committed group of actors.

We meet our protagonist, Dave when he starts off as an transporter of wholesale quantity illicit drugs for a firm. The job pays very well and Dave who is far more accustomed to being 'skint' than 'flush' is not sure what to do with his newfound riches. Dave helps himself to liberal samples of the wholesale product he transports while also buying other brands of artificial joy to supplement. We discover that Dave has a moderation problem. But business is booming and Dave brings in his friend, who also happens to be ethnic, to share the wealth. Trouble is, the tight-nit corporate culture Dave is a part of does not really celebrate ethnic diversity. This poses greater problems down the road. As business picks up, so do Dave's responsibilities where he is promoted to also administer penalties to 'delinquent clients'. This promotion leads to an awakening of sorts within Dave as he discovers he has something called a conscience. Not just any conscience it seems, rather one that wreaks havoc on par with the Incredible Hulk on a tantrum. Immediately Dave attempts to bludgeon his conscience through upping his dosages of wholesale product and other substances in a bender that would put frosh week students to shame. But Dave's conscience also has the power, strength, and the resilience of The Incredible Hulk and will not be vanquished. Dave runs to a local mosque that his little ethnic friend frequents in a desperate bid to satiate his conscience. Yet when our protagonist sees and listens to the worshippers, he dismisses the lot as 'brainwashed'. That is, until Dave encounters the dark night of his beleaguered soul and feels he has nowhere left to run. We then have what writer William Faulkner phrases as, 'the heart in conflict with itself', torn between the rending demands of the material world and ravenous desire for inner peace.

Snow in Paradise is a debut film by Andrew Hulme based on the memoirs of actor/co-writer Martin Askew. Hulme already has a distinct style, the 'claustrophobia-inducing up-close-and-too-personal camera framing' such that the odd wide shot allows the audience to gasp for air and lower her/his pulse. Ernest Hemingway may be an influence because the film intimates that there is not snow, but an iceberg in paradise where the audience gets the tip and the rest of the story is beneath the waters. Symbolic hints point towards a larger, darker story and Hulme is not big on exposition, rather leaving the audience to flail or tread for answers. We even have a boxing scene that would do Papa Hemingway proud. The cinematography is accomplished and clean, clinical almost. Yet most striking is the music score, or rather, the lack of it. Sparse plucks from a bass during intense scenes, but mostly silence so the audience can reflect on what is happening instead of music directing emotion. Hulme is no spring chicken when it comes to the film, having edited for such directors as Anton Corbijn (Control, The American) and Julian Jarrold (Red Riding: The Year of Our Lord 1974). Like Daniel-San from The Karate Kid, Andrew Hulme has 'waxed-on', 'waxed-off' for decades and is now ready to crane-kick his way into film goers hearts, though the fare he offers is a tad bleak.