Somers Town (2008)

Movies about people you've never seen before can be more exciting and enriching than all the other stuff. This one is.

There are hints of a good film here, but ultimately it's disappointing and comes nowhere close to the previous efforts of Shane Meadows.Set in London, the film tells the story of an unlikely friendship between two youngsters who are experiencing the city for the first time. Tomo is from the Midlands and his past is unclear, however we can be fairly certain that he's running away from his previous life and has nothing to go back to. Marek is a Polish immigrant, who is living in a flat with his Father.The film lacks any real direction. The acting from the boy who plays Marek is poor at best, and even Thomas Turgoose, who was excellent in This Is England really struggles. In fact the most interesting scenes are those with Marek's Dad. We get a real sense of the love he has for his son, but also his pain at having left his former life behind and bringing up a child on his own.The film is very short, but there are still some scenes which could have been cut shorter or omitted altogether. The wheelchair scene with the French waitress was kind of cute at first, but Meadows really lays it on thick with slow motion scenes of the three characters looking around them at the high rise flats with the predictable indie tune in the background. It all seems rather pointless. The film is not without it's merits. I liked the last sequence, and having the trip to Paris in colour was a nice touch (the rest of the film is in black and white). I liked the contrast of this scene to the rest of the film, but of course I think we can all come to the conclusion that the Paris scene never really happened and is just happening in the imaginations of the two young boys, hence why it is in colour as opposed to the rest of the film.Altogether, not a great film and not one I'll be rushing to re-watch. If you've seen any of Shane Meadows other work, maybe check Somers Town out just to see how it stacks up, but I think you'll be left disappointed.

Shane Meadows is an under-acknowledged genius, and in this short film about the friendship between two boys, lippy Tomo and drippy Marek, all of his strengths are on view (in spite of its brevity): the ability to coach brilliant performances out of largely unproven casts, hilarious yet real dialogue, simple but atmospheric cinematography and an excellent soundtrack provided by his long-term friend and collaborator Gavin Clark. It's true, that not a lot happens, but it's an utterly moving paean to the virtues of simple companionship in a lonely world. The setting near Kings Cross reminded me of Mike Leigh's 'High Hopes', another film whose strength is its affection for its characters; 'Somers Town' is a slighter film, but a perfectly realised one.

After seeing Shane Meadows brilliant,but unsettling previous film, 'This Is England',I wondered how is he going to top himself with this one? The answer comes in the form of 'Somers Town',a gritty,grainy black & white film (with colour inserts) with a real "do it yourself" (or,D.I.Y.)look to it, that wears it's heart on it's sleeve. The story concerns two teen aged boys,Tomo (played by Thomas Turgoose,from 'This Is England'),a homeless lad that managed to escape a harrowing home life in the north-Midlands to run wild in the streets of London, and Marek (played by newcomer Piotr Jagiello),a young lad, who is living with his divorced father,Mariusz (played by Ireneusz Czap),both immigrants from Poland living in London. Tomo & Marek meet under some dubious circumstances,with Marek not liking Tomo much at first,but the two forge an uneasy friendship,fall in love with the same woman (a French waitress,Maria,played by Elisa Lasowski),and generally become B.F.F's (best friends forever). Paul Fraser writes a heartfelt screenplay about two opposites that overcome odds to find friendship (Tomo is easily the most unlikely to be able to even have a friend,due to his scrappy nature,while Marek is lonely,due to his father's hard drinking with his co-workers). Natasha Braier's kitchen sink,black & white/colour photography (shot in monochrome HD)gives this film it's character look,and the crisp editing really works to give this film the kudos it deserves. Not rated,but contains some rude language,sexual content & a rather nasty gang beating inflicted on the young Tomo by a street gang