Dir:
Chris Cottam, Rankin, UK, 2006, 100 mins
Cast: David Leon, Sam MacLintock, James Cosmo, Daon Broni
Review by Sian Thatcher
An ambitious new film
from celebrity fashion photographer Rankin, this film uses
sin and salvation as its motifs. It’s set in North
London, in an area where underworld boss Mr Karva (Cosmo)
runs a shady little empire. His stepson, Othello (Leon),
has ambitions to make a real name for himself, while their
whole network of friends are beset by some sort of trouble
or tragedy.
Their friend Roadrunner (Broni) one
day finds a strange, sickly-looking 10-year-old boy in
the park. All his life, Roadrunner has been on the move – but when he looks
into the child's eyes, he finds he can finally stop running.
Soon the other characters realise that the child can grant
each of them their own taste of heaven, offering whatever
they desire, whether it’s to always win when gambling,
to find a new son to replace a lost baby or to achieve that
elusive orgasm.
The young child (MacLintock) serves
as a talisman to all the characters, offering them redemption
and salvation from their grim existences. Roadrunner quits
his criminal day job, Othello wins on the slot machines
all the time and most of the characters find a certain
kind of happiness and a purer way of life. The community
of the Green Lanes of London soon realise, though, that
nothing comes for free… as
with all things, greed takes over and the child doesn’t
last in their care for long.
It’s a unique premise for a story and a different
side of London is explored. The characters are played well
by up-and-coming young British actors – David Leon
is particularly good as Othello and is definitely someone
to look out for in the future.
However, the story is where the film really falls down.
It is overly pretentious, unbelievable, not funny enough
to be a comedy and not dramatic enough to be a drama. The
dialogue and characterisations are wooden and forced and
the way the characters relate to one another seems unnatural.
Mr Karva is especially odd as a character – apparently
brutal, but the reasons for this aren’t explored in
any real depth – there’s just one scene where
he dances around a fully laid dining table, perhaps to show
his loneliness and how alienated he has become due to his
harsh treatment of people? His lack of ability to orgasm
features a few times in the film and seems out of place.
The film tries too hard to convey
a metaphorical and mystical message – this message is lost as the characters aren’t
developed enough and the narrative lacks pace and credibility.
However, the film is innovative and
involves a unique story (and at least it isn’t another predictable and dull
Hollywood teen flick). Worth a watch, especially if you live
in the area it’s set in.
|
