Hoxton. London. Present day. George and Sophie are from different sides of the tracks: a middle class girl and a council estate boy. They are saving money to go on their first holiday together – a trip to Barbados. The deposit is paid, and they have two weeks left to pay the outstanding balance. Sophie has been giving George her part of the money for safekeeping and is keen to settle the debt with the travel agents. The only trouble is, George has no job and his only income is a dole cheque and a few quid he makes from selling weed to his friends. Blinded by love, Sophie is unaware that George has no savings and very little chance of getting his share of the holiday money together.
George’s best friend, Frani, has an idea for making easy money but he needs the cash up-front – money George doesn’t have. Frani’s plan is simple: buy an ounce of coke, mix it up with novocaine and double your money. George tells him he can’t spend Sophie’s savings but Frani convinces him that the cash will be returned twice over before she even knows it’s gone. Enticed by the numbers, George decides to take a chance on it.
The plan starts out well with a few quid made and a sweet night out with the boys, but inevitably things soon turn sour. George’s mates convince him to front them more coke until they can pay him back the next day. George finds himself in a bad situation: the clock’s ticking and he needs to collect all the money owed to him fast. Unfortunately it’s soon apparent that his so-called mates either don’t have the money or have no intention of paying it back straight away.
George is desperate – he’s stressed and distant with Sophie. She can sense that he’s keeping something from her and is suspicious of his nights out with the boys and reluctance to spend time with her. In his desperation, George continues to make mistake after mistake and the more time he spends chasing his money, the less time he spends with Sophie.
Their relationship is unravelling and Sophie begins to see that there is life beyond George, especially as a close girlfriend is determined to set her up with a more eligible man. Finally, Sophie discovers that George is broke, and that he’s spent most of her savings on a failed drug deal.
George finds himself with no girlfriend, no money and the feeling that his own friends have used him. He has gambled the most precious thing in his life and lost. Faced by the error of his ways, George begins to find a better path for himself.
His loss is the catalyst for change… and of course there is always the possibility that love runs deeper than even he might hope for.
A concoction of drama, suspense and romance, boasting an all British cast including George Russo,
Ophelia Lovibond (Mr Popper’s Penguins, No Stings Attached) and Ben Drew aka Plan B (Harry Brown,
Adulthood) and marking the directorial debut of emerging talent Lee Sales, TURNOUT shoot’s directly
into the heart of London life.
