David Jackson’s earnest debut is sumptuously shot on England’s south coast but hobbled by hackneyed plotlines
Former TV director David Jackson makes his feature debut with this earnest, technically assured piece of downbeat British social realism. The story is about a middle-aged guy living an almost feral existence at the margins of society who is forced to reconnect with his estranged teenaged son.
The film looks good, and evokes the wild beauty of England’s south coast, thanks to some great location work by cinematographer Ben Cole. Francis Magee delivers his lead performance with conviction, and there is a nice humorous cameo by Doon Mackichan as his neighbour. The problem is that the storytelling is unconvincing: there is a clash between the realist style and the patent unreality in much of the narrative. Moreover, the film winds up with some very naive assumptions about how easy it is...
Former TV director David Jackson makes his feature debut with this earnest, technically assured piece of downbeat British social realism. The story is about a middle-aged guy living an almost feral existence at the margins of society who is forced to reconnect with his estranged teenaged son.
The film looks good, and evokes the wild beauty of England’s south coast, thanks to some great location work by cinematographer Ben Cole. Francis Magee delivers his lead performance with conviction, and there is a nice humorous cameo by Doon Mackichan as his neighbour. The problem is that the storytelling is unconvincing: there is a clash between the realist style and the patent unreality in much of the narrative. Moreover, the film winds up with some very naive assumptions about how easy it is...
- 3/28/2019
- by Peter Bradshaw
- The Guardian - Film News
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