Fantastic!

I was totally surprised at how great this film.You could feel your paranoia rise as the film went on and as you gradually learned the details of the real situation.

The movie really just wants to entertain people.

One of the best movies of the year! Incredible from the beginning to the end.

Anais Nin said, "Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." A new world is indeed born for two lonely teenagers in Shane Meadows' Somers Town, a spirited 70-minute exploration of the bonds that can arise out of mutual need. Originally intended as a 20-minute promo by railway line Eurostar to publicize their high-speed London to Paris train, the film contains references to high-speed trains but is in no sense an advertisement for anything except good film-making. Written by frequent Meadows collaborator Paul Fraser and shot in high contrast black and white, the film stars Thomas Turgoose, the twelve-year-old Skinhead in This is England as Tomo, a runaway orphan from Nottingham.Tomo comes to London to find something better in life but is beaten and robbed of his money and belongings on his first night away from home. He soon meets Marek (Piotr Jagiello), an introverted Polish teen who lives with his father in one of the flats in Somers Town, a working class area in Northern London. Somers Town is named after the Somers family who owned the land and can boast of such former residents as Charles Dickens, Arthur Rimbaud, and Paul Verlaine. Marek warily agrees to let Tomo stay with him but they are both fearful of being discovered by Marek's father (Ireneusz Czop), a Polish immigrant, who is often known to come home drunk. Shot in and around Phoenix Court, a low rise council property in Purchese Street, their friendship grows as they are put to work by a scheming neighbor Graham (Perry Benson) stacking and sanding lawn chairs.Soon they are pulling off dicey capers, and competing for the affection of Maria (Elisa Lasowski), a lovely French waitress in a local café. One of the film's high points is when the two boys find an abandoned wheelchair and give Maria a ride home, a gesture that prompts her to plant a kiss on each boy's cheek, telling them that she loves them equally. Tomo likes to talk tough but his vulnerability shows through his poses and we can see that underneath there is a good person struggling to emerge. Marek is a photographer who has a gentleness about him and the two personalities seem to complement each other. Supported by an outstanding acoustic soundtrack of songs by Gavin Clarke and Ted Barnes, Meadows captures the grittiness of blue-collar existence but balances it with a light touch that makes the film a thorough delight.One of the funniest sequences is when the two steal a bag of clothes from the Laundromat that turn out to be mostly women's garments which Tomo is forced to wear simply because he doesn't have anything else. When Maria decides to return home to Paris without saying goodbye, the boys plan a train trip to find her and, in a color montage that may be real or imagined, the film explodes into unexpected lyricism. Meadows latest film may not have the clout of Dead Man's Shoes (2004) or This is England (2006) but to call it insubstantial just because it is short is to do it a grave injustice. Somers Town is so natural and the character's growing pains so poignant that you will have a hard time ever getting it out of your head.

Shane Meadows is undoubtedly a filmmaker of immense talent capable of producing powerful movies but he seems to have wandered off the path a little here and seems a little bemused by the distractions he has stumbled upon. This story of the unlikely friendship between a working class Nottingham lad and the son of a Polish labourer in London contains only the most cursory of plots, and as the film unfolds the suspicion grows that, even at little more than an hour long, there's a little too much padding here. There are two musical montages - one, in colour, which may be a dream or wish-fulfilment sequence - and a sub-plot about the relationship between Marek and his hard-drinking father that goes nowhere.Lack of a storyline isn't necessarily a bad thing (and despite the negative tone of this review Somers Town isn't a bad film), but if a filmmaker is going to rely on observation in a character-driven tale then those characters have to be interesting. The youngsters give decent performances - especially Thomas Turgoose, who also appeared in Meadows' This Is England, and the director's eye for detail means that the film doesn't feel boring, but once it's over you're left wondering what the point was - and the significance (or wisdom) of having Turgoose's character ending up wearing a dress and dusting knick-knacks like a midget housewife near the film's conclusion.

Tomo (Turgoose) moves from Nottingham to London in the hope of a new start and befriends Marek (Jagiello), a Polish immigrant who has a crush on Maria (Lasowski) After viewing Shane Meadows impressive drama This is England this 2008 drama sounded very appealing and I am glad to say the same level of drama and sophistication is as present as it was in 2006 and with the same level of issues and entertainment present, this makes engaging viewing, if not as passionate as his previous release.One of the main reasons Somers Town isn't as strong as the Bafta winner is Thomas Turgoose's protagonist Tomo. Turgoose was exceptionally strong in This is England, bringing that level of vulnerability to a bullied school boy and yet expressing his enjoyment through his actions. Here we see him as an over eager selfish teenager looking to start afresh with new friends. When looking at modern day stereotypes in British cinema you may recall the gangster figure in Kidulthood or the dreamer in My Summer of Love. Here we see almost a mix between the two. Tomo isn't afraid to say what he feels and do what he wants. His language is appalling, his expectancy of everyone comes too easily and he is so irritating the stop button on your remote control will be exceptionally tempting. Turgoose does well to portray the stereotype but all things considered the character is something else in modern society. A dramatic instalment is Tomo but the character development and the way it is handled in the latter part is appreciative and almost heart warming, with a few twists thrown in.Piotr Jagiello is very impressive as Polish immigrant Marek. Quiet, unassertive and desperate we feel his situation with his father and can take comfort from his desperation for a normal life. Elisa Lasowski is included briefly but makes a startling impression in this dramatic tale of friendship.Tackling ideologies of friendship and family this film delivers in a way only British cinema can, by taking the issue from its very core and spinning it on a realistic portrayal. Having the film set in black and white makes these concepts feel that extra dramatic and therefore more powerful.Meadows' direction is tackled very delicately with some artistic soft shots thrown in to appreciate the story in context, including a wonderful montage in the closing stages. The relaxing score further engrosses viewers into the sentimental story.Whereas this isn't as strong as Meadows' other film, Somers Town takes comfort from a passionate collection of protagonists and thrives on the drama of real life.

Much as I love Shane Meadows, and much as I enjoyed the the naivety of Tommy Turgoose in last year's excellent "This Is England", I'm afraid TT cannot carry a film alone. This was a slight, easily forgotten film. Which is a pity, because I'm sure it was full of good intentions and superb craftsmanship, well beyond the contractual obligations of Eurostar's funding.I'm sorry if the above comment does not contain enough lines - the minimum length for comments is 10 lines of text, but I refuse to pad the comment with junk words which might result in my account being blocked from future submissions. What's Next?Ron (Viewed 25Feb08)