Review of The Inevitable Defeat of Mister & Pete (2013) by Ponderflix — 22 Jan 2015

Mister is a boy in his early teens with problems at school and bigger problems at home. He’s failed the school year and someone has written something rude about his mum in the boy’s toilet which won’t rub off. At home his mother Gloria is too strung out to keep enough food in the house and his annoying younger neighbour Pete is playing on his Playstation. Mister and Pete’s summer goes from rough to very bloody rough when Gloria is arrested during a raid on their tower block. Their summer holiday now consists of trying to scrape together enough food to survive and avoiding the police who will deliver them to child protection services and the dreaded Riverview boy’s home if they catch them.

There are some very good performances to admire, not least from Skylan Brooks as Mister who shows an impressive range on his debut, alternating between angry resentment, vulnerability and desperation. The film works best in the scenes between Mister and Pete, finding glimmers of happiness amongst the grim realities of surviving the poverty and various villains that inhabit their world. At times the grimness of their situation and the range of baddies they have to contend with seem a bit heavy-handed, but the touches of wit and humanity balance it out and stop it from being dragged under by its own weight.

There are a few mis-steps, but on the whole this is a success. Full of nicely observed details and performances – well worth a watch.

Full review at ponderflix on wordpress.