Precious is a new-style weepie but one that is much more bracing than depressing
Precious
Theatre
Ian McKellen is captivating throughout. He delights in the play’s gallows humour, yet is also maudlin and poignant
Waiting for Godot
Theatre
Slight quibbles notwithstanding, this will set the West End’s stock riding high
Enron
Utterly, utterly brilliant. You really are in for a treat
Though 'Trilogy' has won rave reviews, I personally found myself exasperated after about an hour
We went on a quiet sunday evening and the food was excellent, but the experience let down by the service and ambiance
London,
Charlotte O'Sullivan's rating
Reader rating
Dir: Kenny Glenaan.
Cast: Robert Carlyle, Steve Evets, Rachael Blake
Description: In his youth, Shaun was a violent bully, lashing out at everyone around him. While childhood best friend Daz languishes on his death bed, Shaun confronts the spectres of his past in search of redemption in Kenny Glenaan's nostalgic drama about the past, and its hold on the present. In flashback, Shaun recalls his formative years with Daz and girlfriend Katy, the lazy summer full of promise when anything seemed possible, and the cruel chain of events which binds these youngsters forever as one of them fights for his life against degenerative illness.
Country: UK. 2008. 82mins
A coming-of-age drama with a difference, Summer is the story of a man who takes so long to “find himself” that, some would argue, he might as well have stayed lost.
It is low-budget. It involves only one big name. No iconic pop songs appear on the soundtrack. Guns are not relevant to the storyline and nor are suitcases full of cash. The title, to put it mildly, lacks oomph. Yet the end result is brilliant, proof that British films can be both poetic and political, uplifting and raw.
Robert Carlyle plays fortysomething loser Shaun, whose days are spent caring for Daz (Steve Evets), his childhood best friend, in the Northern town of Bolsover. They both look like the walking wounded. Daz, it turns out, is dying; Shaun can’t help pondering how the damage was done. His liquid-bright memories trickle into the present; eventually they cause a flood.
We get to meet him and Daz as academically-challenged 10-year-olds. We also meet them — in the year that changes everything — aged 16.
All the performances are riveting. Carlyle’s rightly won him a Best Actor award at the Edinburgh Film Festival. The 16-year-old Shaun, as played by newcomer Matthew Workman, is effortlessly charismatic; Jo Tulej, as his savvy girlfriend, is also a natural. It’s often confusing when characters age and regress before our eyes, but each shift here adds a crucial piece to the puzzle.
It comes as no surprise to discover that director Kenny Glenaan (a Scot) is a big fan of Ken Loach. Ironically, Summer is actually better than many of Loach’s recent efforts, which these days often leave supporting players dangling in thin air.
All the characters in Summer, by contrast, have a believable texture. Plenty of ground is covered in Summer: dyslexia, addiction, self-destructive machismo, the education system and, of course, poor job opportunities for men. But it’s the film’s overall generosity that leaves us in bits.
Details are correct at the time of publication - please check with venue before booking.
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