Luke, an independent young man with Down's syndrome stumbles upon a wild and life changing friendship.Luke, an independent young man with Down's syndrome stumbles upon a wild and life changing friendship.Luke, an independent young man with Down's syndrome stumbles upon a wild and life changing friendship.
- Awards
- 4 wins & 4 nominations total
Luis Sanchez
- Charlie
- (as Lewis Nicolas)
- Director
- Writer
- All cast & crew
- Production, box office & more at IMDbPro
Featured reviews
Can I have back my 75 minutes please.
I waited and waited for something to happen and then it was over.
What is the point of Pixie Le Knots character.
What was the ending supposed to be?
I waited and waited for something to happen and then it was over.
What is the point of Pixie Le Knots character.
What was the ending supposed to be?
Steven Brandon is great here as "Luke" a young man with Down's Syndrome who looks after his ailing mother at their home. When she dies, he is deemed incapable of fending for himself and goes to live in a residential care home. Initially unsettled, he starts to bond with one of the staff "Eve" (Shana Swash) and with "Pete" (Will Rastall) - a young man doing community service work nearby. "Luke" has a fondness for nature and likes to go for walks. On one such occassion, he encounters a seriously malnourished young girl trapped in a snare. He frees her and carries her to a nearby barn where he tries to nurse her back to health. It also transpires that his pal "Pete" has some demons and the story now proceeds to try to knit these themes together. It's Jane Gull's directional debut, and with Brandon she has a young actor who offers us an engaging perspective of his life and his search for joy and fulfilment. The story itself, though, is an implausible amalgam of scenarios (especially his foundling) and for the most part I felt like we were just plonked into the middle of something - with not enough sense of before, and certainly no sense of conclusion. That said, there is chemistry between the two men, here - Rastall (looks a bit like James Franco?) has a charm about him too - and Gull doesn't allow sentiment to intrude overly even if it does tug at the heart strings now and again. Whilst is touches on social care issues, and on some environmental ones too, this is essentially a snippet from the life of a young man trying to make his own way in a world that would treat him with kid gloves - whether he likes it or not.
If the score was for intention and sincerity, this would entirely be a 10. This is a super-low-budget British drama that shines a light on characters not often represented on the big screen. The filmmakers have proceeded with absolute integrity of purpose, the film is not at all preachy, it's "just" a story and doesn't try to give answers or deliver a sermon. We are invited to spend time with characters healing after traumas. The plot has a mystery at its core that is left narratively unresolved but there is definitely an emotional climax to the story that leaves you wanting more. Well done to Ms Gull, Mr Paveling and their talented collaborators for showing the world that UK indie film is fighting fit and ready to take on the world!
I absolutely love this movie! It made me cry frequently.
I love the fact that it is a 'normal' life story about a young man with Downs. I wish we saw more actors with disabilities in films.
I kind of hoped the ending might mean for a sequel? I wanted to know more!
Very moving, poignant film about a man with Down's syndrome trying to regather his life after a tragedy. I haven't seen many films where the lead actor is disabled, and Steven Brandon does an absolutely extraordinary job here as 'Luke'. He absolutely nails the part.
Think of the work of Lynne Ramsay, Andrea Arnold, Clio Barnard and you may get the picture. It does a really fine job of tapping into the psyche of Luke and takes the viewer to some interesting metaphorical places. It also touches on the healing process, grief, guilt etc. There's also a very credible performance by Shana Swash as 'Eve', who takes care of Luke and provides a semi 'love interest' role. Susanne Salavati's cinematography is quite lovely at times too and there are some nice shots of the English countryside to set the mood.
The film is a tad rough around the edges, especially with a 'wtf' moment in the final act, but a fine effort for a first time director (Jane Gull). Really looking forward to see what she does next.
Think of the work of Lynne Ramsay, Andrea Arnold, Clio Barnard and you may get the picture. It does a really fine job of tapping into the psyche of Luke and takes the viewer to some interesting metaphorical places. It also touches on the healing process, grief, guilt etc. There's also a very credible performance by Shana Swash as 'Eve', who takes care of Luke and provides a semi 'love interest' role. Susanne Salavati's cinematography is quite lovely at times too and there are some nice shots of the English countryside to set the mood.
The film is a tad rough around the edges, especially with a 'wtf' moment in the final act, but a fine effort for a first time director (Jane Gull). Really looking forward to see what she does next.
- How long is My Feral Heart?Powered by Alexa
Details
Box office
- Budget
- £110,000 (estimated)
- Runtime1 hour 23 minutes
- Color
Contribute to this page
Suggest an edit or add missing content