Somers Town, the new film from Shane Meadows, is a departure for the acclaimed Midlands-based director, being the first project he has filmed outside his hometown. More controversially, the film has its roots in a 12 minute Eurostar film to promote the service's move to St Pancras International Station. Of course Meadows’ decision to get in bed with big business has caused much consternation amongst devotees and film critics, but having seen the movie I'm pleased to report that product placement is the last thing on your mind when you watch this gritty but beautiful coming of age drama. Set in Camden, Somers Town is a moving portrayal of the friendship which develops between two boys; runaway Tommo (Thomas Turgoose) and Marek (Piotr Jagiello), a Polish immigrant who lives in London with his father. Whilst Tommo is brash and cheeky, but indisputably likeable, the lonely Marek is quieter and more sensitive, spending most of his days hanging around London taking photographs of its urban landscapes. The contrast between the voluble yob and the dreamy foreigner is not the foundation for the most obvious of friendships, but the pair increasingly lean on each other as they navigate growing up in a world where their parents are, whether physically or emotionally, detached from them. Their crush on local French waitress Maria also sees them grow closer to one another after they are met with romantic disappointment.
Although there is bleakness around the edges - Tommo is beaten up and mugged after just one day in the capital and Marek seems smothered by his father, who works all day and drinks with friends most nights – Somers Town is actually very heartwarming and funny. The movie's undeniable charm is largely down to the cast: the rapport between Tommo and Marek is touching to watch and Thomas Turgoose proves he was right to abandon his joinery plans and go into acting - just as his naughty charisma won us over in This is England, so does the resilience and humour he imbues Tommo with here.
After over an hour in black and white the film finishes in colour, with what looks like super 8 footage, as the boys achieve their goal of going to Paris on the Eurostar (that'll be the product placement then) to see Maria again. Whether this sequence is real or not, there’s a sweetness to it that captures the lads' hopes and dreams. Critics have accused the movie of being too slight and eschewing some of the major issues at its corners. But whilst the story of two socially marginalized lads finding belonging through friendship seems uncharacteristically positive for Meadows, I guarantee you the end result doesn't suffer. This poetically shot film serves as a great vehicle for Turgooses' comedic ability – he’s the star of this tale, a charmer with the gift of the gab who brings an authenticity and humanity to bear on proceedings, proving he is a more than adequate muse for Meadows.
Although there is bleakness around the edges - Tommo is beaten up and mugged after just one day in the capital and Marek seems smothered by his father, who works all day and drinks with friends most nights – Somers Town is actually very heartwarming and funny. The movie's undeniable charm is largely down to the cast: the rapport between Tommo and Marek is touching to watch and Thomas Turgoose proves he was right to abandon his joinery plans and go into acting - just as his naughty charisma won us over in This is England, so does the resilience and humour he imbues Tommo with here.
After over an hour in black and white the film finishes in colour, with what looks like super 8 footage, as the boys achieve their goal of going to Paris on the Eurostar (that'll be the product placement then) to see Maria again. Whether this sequence is real or not, there’s a sweetness to it that captures the lads' hopes and dreams. Critics have accused the movie of being too slight and eschewing some of the major issues at its corners. But whilst the story of two socially marginalized lads finding belonging through friendship seems uncharacteristically positive for Meadows, I guarantee you the end result doesn't suffer. This poetically shot film serves as a great vehicle for Turgooses' comedic ability – he’s the star of this tale, a charmer with the gift of the gab who brings an authenticity and humanity to bear on proceedings, proving he is a more than adequate muse for Meadows.