We Are Monster (2014)

Based on a true story. Habitual offender Robert Stewart (Leeshon Alexander) was placed in the same cell as Zahid Mubarek (Aymen Hamdouchi). Robert is a psychotic racist who talks to himself. The results weren't good. The film has some flashbacks to an abused childhood, but it is mostly Robert talking to himself. The film was interesting for a while, except there are only so many conversations I can watch a person have with themselves before I get bored, and this film definitely crossed the line. Did I mention Robert talks to himself?Guide: F-bomb. No sex or nudity.

Based on real events this film starts out with Robert Stewart being discovered in his cell after he has murdered his cell mate Zahid Mubarek . The film then traces the events that led up to this murder. In doing so it appears to have drawn heavily on the findings of the inquiry into the events at Feltham Young Offender Institute during the year 2000.Stewart is played by Leeshon Alexander who also wrote this and he puts in a very commendable performance. The back story includes unvarnished criticisms of the Prison Service too and an attempt to understand why he did this terrible and unprovoked act.In terms of presentation this is a very 'staged' performance with few locations and obvious sets, but this is done for artistic impact and I felt actually worked really well. This is not an easy watch though as the material being covered is one that is alien to most people; it is though a very worthwhile piece of movie making that will appeal to those who like real life dramas and don't mind starting with the ending – especially one that is essentially an unhappy one.

Using a series of flashbacks we learn about how Robert Stewart became a 'monster' but also how his younger years have moulded him into the brutal mentally disturbed racist that he is in his present days. The film is a very hard film to watch and is so uncomfortable as we watch and hear some of the most racist comments seen in films for years, but that is the point. We Are Monster shouldn't be a pleasant entertaining film to watch, it needs to be (and is) an extremely powerful piece of film that gives us a nasty glimpse into the minds of nasty peopleWhilst the film itself does sit firmly on the shoulders of the lead actor Leeshon Alexander (playing Robert Stewart), who does an all too convincing job of playing someone I wouldn't want to meet in a well lit alley, never mind a dark alley at night. The supporting cast also does a top notch job in this true story. Familiar faces such as Doug Allen (The Guvnors), Aymen Hamdouchi (My Brother The Devil), and Gethin Anthony (Game of Thrones) all have great roles in 'We Are Monster'.Without delving into spoilers for the film, the use of silence also works wonders in the film with a section at the start using mood, and scenery and looks to tell us everything we need to know.Recently the 2013 film 'Starred Up' gathered huge acclaim and 'We Are Soldier' is right up there alongside that film. Its a tough film to watch but its a film that everyone should see for many reasons. Its a story that should be shared, its a film thats brilliant put together, and contains some of the most subtle but powerful performances of recent years.For those who think the UK film industry is full of cockney-gangster films.'We Are Monster' will prove you wrong.

We Are Monster (based on real life events)will stay with you, it provokes sympathy for the victim(s) and outrage and disbelief as to why a young man is murdered within his cell at Feltham Young Offenders Institute when it could and should have been prevented.What causes the viewer considerable disquiet is the murderer's own story as we learn about his abusive childhood, at the hands of his racist, violent father, and his mother who turned away.The lead role of the protagonist is played by Leesham Alexander. I hadn't seen any of his work before, his performance was mesmerizing and compelling, drawing you in to the murderer's highly disorganised and damaged view of the world, acutely paranoid and withdrawn he finds himself within Feltham having spent previous time in other YOIs alone but sharing a cell with a young Asian man. The unfolding events are told through the murder's perspective as he struggles and stumbles toward the inevitable, horrific but avoidable end.The victim, convincingly played by another relative unknown, is a young man with a future who appears to have a rehabilitated himself is due to be released.This film is unsettling, but rightly so, if you enjoy a film which is thought provoking and challenging this is for you. I hope it does well for the writer, director and cast because the story remains highly relevant following the subsequent inquiry and the lessons not (yet) learned. Great direction from Antony Petrou and cinematography which captures the starkness of the institutions in which we place young people with little if any support. I suspect it will be uncomfortable viewing for the governor and warders/officers involved (some of whom tried to intervene and do right by their charges), as well as the Home Office and others. There is no getting away from the social and political issues highlighted.