Review: London to Brighton

Tom Elce reviews British director Paul Andrew Williams’ award winning Independent film London to Brighton

London to Brighton

Writer-director Paul Andrew Williams has been the recipient and nominee for several awards following the international releases - prior to this week’s opening in the States - of “London to Brighton” and that isn’t very surprising. Camera lens seemingly wiped with a dirty washcloth prior to takes and frequent navigations away from straightforward chronology suggest a filmmaker trying to establish himself a style, that of a director requesting remembrance of his style as some gritty, murky work of artistry. Does he deserve major accolades for treating “London to Brighton” with such cynicism and bleakness as he does, then? Well, yes and no. Unforgivingly bleak, difficult-to-watch British arthouse cinema mixed in with some disappointingly derivative gangster film traits, “London to Brighton” walks out the other side scathed but memorable, a mixed bag wherein the contents are nonetheless more positive than negative.

Were director Williams to stand beside his challenging simple story - of two runaways, one a broken-down prostitute, Kelly (Lorraine Stanley), the other a 12-year-old girl, Joanne (Georgia Groome), possibly used the night before by Kelly and her pimp Derek (Johnny Harris) for the pleasure of a lecherous paedophile and client, whose reasons for escape London for Brighton are ambiguous - without heading in the directions of a flimsy mystery film in forgettable interludes, “London to Brighton” might have been one of the best releases so far this year. As is, the fact that so much of the film hinges on the identity of a mystery man who has sent Derek in hot pursuit of the fleeing twosome subtracts from a gritty film that would have worked better with a narrowed scope. Perhaps his involvement is crucial to Kelly and Joanne’s motives to flee, but he could have disappeared for the time in between until the conclusion, Derek’s subplot being the only one that needed following for the film’s resolution to be organic.

“London to Brighton” probably won’t reach a wide audience, which is an understandable shame. Anyone accustomed to the sugarcoating lent to such content in a Hollywood movie will probably be uncomfortable watching the film unfold. With images of graphic violence - as in a key scene wherein the girls’ reasons for escape are explained - or of disturbing suggestive sexual content - a young girl being tied to a bed as a man druels over her - the film is Brit arthouse through-and-through, encouraging memories of the recent “Boy A” (a better film) or “This is England” if not in anyway similar imagery then in a brave refusal to turn a blind eye to the abhorrent actions taken by their flawed characters.

Playing a hardy rundown prostitute desperately trying to escape the clutches of a deadly pimp while protecting a homeless child from a cruel world, Lorraine Stanley is excellent as Kelly. Though her character isn’t ever all that likeable in spite of her courageous actions, Stanley imbues Kelly with a humanity curiously lacking in some supporting turns, essaying an unlikely film heroine with such gritty skill that it raises the quality of a film that, without her, might have amounted only to mediocrity. As 12-year-old charge Joanne,Georgie Groome at times has trouble emoting convincingly enough when the scenes call for it, but overall does a very good job for an actress of her age. Filling out the supporting male parts, Johnny Harris is threatening with regards to Kelly and Joanne, undeniably weak in comparison to the man who poses a great threat over his Derek; Sam Spruell unmemorably wooden as the mysterious villain; and Nathan Constance an almost-entirely silent sidekick to desperate Derek.

Can’t-look-away graphic filmmaking dissatisfyingly bereft of a soul - director Williams unflinching approach works for shock value, but needs a bit more objection and less neutrality to it - “London to Brighton” almost believes itself great before it is proven. It never is, instead a story that should have been played simpler and with more pause for thought that unfortunately goes the way of a pretentious, desperate identity mystery for too-long lengths of time. Making the most of its seaside setting whenever Kelly and Joanne explore their new surroundings, the former constantly looking over her shoulder, and boosted by an elevated sense of dread as Derek rapidly tracks them down, “London to Brighton” works better as fish-out-of-water character study than blasé mystery or thriller.

My rating: 2.5/4 stars

1/2

Director: Paul Andrew Williams
Cast: Lorraine Stanley, Johnny Harris, Georgie Groome, Sam Spruell,
Alexander Morton, Nathan Constance, Claudie Blakley, Jamie Kenna,
David Keeling, Jack Deam, Chloe Bale, Tim Matthews
MPAA Rating: NR
BBFC Rating: 18
Limited in US from Feb. 8.

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