Review of London to Brighton (2006) by Beth J — 12 Jun 2008

Directed by: Paul Andrew Williams.

Starring: Lorraine Stanley, Georgia Groome, Alexander Morton, Johnny Harris.

<< "Why the fuck did you run away?"..."Cause living at home was shit, mums dead ain't she and my dad was a bastard, he beat me...he was always pissed." >>.

The story follows a woman and a young girl on the run, the woman beaten and the young girl distrout, they have both been involved in an event that is keeping them on the run, or else they will be found.

I certainly tried keeping the synopsis above as minimum as possible, because nothing should be ruined for this film...especially when its simply told and runs for a mere 78 minutes (without credits)...but what is told is something great.

The story pretty much is split into 3 angles, the first being from the angle of the two on the run, the other of the two who are chasing her and the other of the person who has set this all up...never does the film drag on any of these angles, each section is tautly told and remains full of tension and grittiness, there is never a dull or forced moment.

The performances are some of the most committed and strongest I have seen in an independent, unknown first debut in many years. Everyone does wonders with there well thought out characters, but the one to mention is Georgia Groome. 14 at the time of filming, she inhabits the role with such complexity and experience, its shocking to see the attitude and range coming from someone so unknown...and when the emotion is raised, its heart-wrenching to see her the way she is.

As much as I am trying to say nothing about the film or its themes, the 3rd act I will mention. Brutal, unrelenting and very morally hard to watch, its one of the more daring acts you'll see that is portrayed realistically, but the final frames could have gone in so many different directions that the one delivered here does feel a little unconvincing.

London to Brighton is certainly worth the watch and I urge you to seek it out. An outstanding debut that is amazingly realistic and gritty in its dark themes and is all the more satisfying when you know that the characters are the main focus and they are given the right treatment with some astonishing performances.