We Are the Freaks.

Director:	Justin Edgar
Country:	UK
Year:	2013
Running Time:	80 mins
Principle Cast:	Michael Smiley	Killer Colin
	Jamie Blackley	Jack
	Sean Teale	Chunks
	Mike Bailey	Parsons
	Rosemund Hanson	Clare

Written and directed by Justin Edgar and based on his own life experiences, this is not a movie for the staid or conservative film fan, although Margaret Thatcher does play a large part in the films narrative. Made in Edgars home town of Birmingham and set at a time just after the above women was booted out of number 10 by her own party it involves three teenage friends who embank on a traditional weekend of sex, drugs and rock and roll.

Dirctor Justin Edgar.

Jack has a boring job in a bank and is waiting for news of a grant that will enable him to go to University. Parsons has a girlfriend with a tight snatch that nearly rips off his cock. He also has a sexual fixation with Mrs Thatcher and receives life guidance from a drug dealing hard man called Killer Colin who lives in a caravan below a flyover. Last but not least we have Chunks a rich kid who has never had to worry about money, wears a fur coat and drives a red Porsche. These three misfits are the freaks of the title.  

The wonderful Michael Smiley.

The Q&A that followed the film's World Premiere at the 2013 EIFF involved not only the director and the producer but a large contingent of the films cast including the great Michael Smiley who made the sell out audience laugh when he told us that that film had such a low budget that the food that the production company 104Films (which made Sex and Drugs and Rock and Roll 2010) provided was shite and that every body involved in the project lost weight! The director informed us that the film was made over a year ago in just three weeks and he felt that it would resonate with today’s teenage youth. He also told us how he managed to develop an acting style right across the cast and how a lot of the dialog was improvised whilst carrying out rehearsals.  All the cast agreed that it was great fun to make and this does come across in the final cut. Probably the most entertaining and humorous film I’ve seen so far at this year’s festival. It underlined the energy of youth with its fast pace, clever and imaginative cinematography with everything shot wide screen, which worked extremely well, and to top it all a great soundtrack: highly recommended. 

P.S One of the tag line’s for this observantly written film inform us that it is not a teen movie, well thank God for that, which means people of any age can happily enjoy a movie about the coming of age of three teenagers!