The Cry of the Owl.

As I said in my blog on Jamie Thraves debut film I have been looking forward to seeing more films by this promising British director. The Cry of the Owl (2009) is certainly different from his other two feature films, The Low Down (2000) and his latest Treacle Jr. (2010). Firstly it is a thriller and has been filmed in and around the Greater Toronto area in Canada; his other two feature films were made in the UK. Secondly it’s a British, Canadian, French and German co-production in conjunction with BBC Films, where as the director had to remortgaged his own home to make his latest movie!

Based on a Patricia Highsmith book of the same name with a screenplay written by Thraves. It tells the story of Robert Forrester who is going through divorce proceedings. This has a profound effect on his mental well being and he starts to spy on a girl living in an isolated house in the country. She appears to have everything Robert requires from life: happiness and contentment. One evening the girl, Jenny Thierolf, catches him in her garden and from then on she take’s control of the situation, ending her relationship with her longtime boyfriend Greg, believing that meeting Robert is an act of fate. Jenny makes advances to Robert but because of his mental state he feels unprepared to start a new relationship and rejects her advances.  The disappearance of Jenny's fiancé Greg after a fight with Robert marks the beginning of a series of dangerous and ultimately fatal incidents.

The film stars the American actress Julia Stiles (Silver Linings Playbook 2012) as Jenny Thierolf and our very own Paddy Considine as Robert Forrester. Considine is one of these actors that you will not see in a bad movie. He started his acting career in Shane Meadows breakout film A Room for Romeo Brass (1999). Recently appearing in Blitz (2011) and Submarine (2010) and winning a BAFTA for Outstanding Debut Director for Tyrannosaur (2012).

Julia Stiles and Paddy Considine.

Although this went almost straight to video I found it to be a very intriguing thriller with a good and interesting story that demonstrates how a sequence of actions, once started, are impossible to stop and eventually lead to tragedy. A slow and deliberate piece of work that deserved much better distribution.

The Low Down.

Relationships are not easy for Ruby and Frank.

After watching Treacle Jr. (2010), the third feature film that Jamie Thraves had written and directed, I decided that his debut feature film The Low Down (2000) may well be worth a look and I was not disappointed. Like Treacle Jr. it’s a low budget independent film with has the same main star Aidan Gillen, a film he appeared in before his career took off playing Tommy Carcetti in the HBO TV series The Wire (2004–2008). It also stars Kate Ashfield (The War Zone 1999) and Dean Lennox Kelly who is best known for his role of Kev Ball in the TV series Shameless.

Thraves story tracks the day-to-day existence of Frank (Gillen) who earns his living making props alongside his two best friends Mike (Lennox Kelly) and John (Tobias Menzies). Franks life seems to have ground to a halt, not really going anywhere.  So he decides to change his accommodation and move out of the flat that he presently shares with the depressed Terry (Rupert Procter, Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy 2011). It’s while looking for a new apartment that he meets the young attractive Ruby (Ashfield) who works in the local estate agents but would rather study English literature. It’s not long before they realise that they are attracted to one another.

Made in conjunction with Film 4, Thraves really gets to grips with the character studies, which he has stated are based on people he has known personally. He demonstrates how insecurities can get in the way of life. Frank is not good at communicating emotionally; he is somewhat stunted and not good at relationships, getting to a stage where he is past caring and has lost his ambition to be an artist. Ruby is straightforward, a tomboy, she really wants to fall in love with Frank but not being a great communicator herself makes the development of a serious relationship between the two of them pretty difficult.  

A film were people are at a certain time in there lives and are becoming scared to move on, frightened of change but at the same time yearning after change, trying to escape a life that's becoming mundane and somewhat boring.  As I have already said Jamie Thraves really nails his subjects and I for one really look forward to more films from this British director. Incidentally if you look carefully you will spot a young Martin Freeman (The Hobbit 2012) in his first feature film.

Treacle Jr.

Tom Fisher with Aidan Gillian.

Sometimes your lucky and sometimes your not! I refer to selecting an ‘unknown’ film to watch, you know the one, sounds good but your not sure. To be honest I’ve been quite lucky with small budget independent movies that have had almost non-existent distribution, generally only shown in independent picture houses or at local film festivals. I can remember shouting the praises for an Irish film directed by Lenny Abrahamson (What Richard Did 2012) called Garage (2007). Set and shot in Southern Ireland, it’s about Josie a lonely good-natured petrol station attendant who has worked at the crumbling garage for 20 years. His hapless searches for intimacy over one-summer sees his little niche threatened and his life changed forever.  The Irish comedian, singer and writer Pat Shortt, won a Best Actor Award for his role as Josie. This turned out to be an extraordinary powerful film with a great funny/sad performance from Shortt.

Treacle Jr is the cat!

Not quite up to the standard of Garage, but well worth seeing all the same is Treacle Jr (2012) directed and written by Jamie Thraves and starring Aidan Gillen (The Dark Knight Rises 2012, Shadow Dancer 2012, Blitz 2011), Tom Fisher and Riann Steele, who like Fisher has mainly appeared on the small screen in various television series.

The story involves a middle-aged man, Tom (Fisher), who walks out on his wife and baby boy and a seemingly happy life in Birmingham with no explanation. Throwing away both his credit cards and mobile phone he opts to live rough on the streets of London. Alone in a park at night he is set upon by a gang of violent thugs, in his bid to escape he accidentally runs into a tree and knocks himself out. In A&E Tom meets an extremely happy, fast-talking individual, Aidan (Gillen) the complete opposite of Tom. Too polite, or too weak to ask him to leave him alone Tom tries to get away from him but to no avail, Aidan sticks to him like glue. Tom reluctantly becomes involved in Aidan's life and he quickly realizes that this child like man clearly has his own problems, except Aidan can't see them; his shiny optimism blinds him at every turn, even from his 'girlfriend' the dangerous and volatile Linda (Steele).[1]

Riann Steele.

Thraves manages to obtain a wonderful judged performance from the very versatile Gillen; a commendable actor who seems happy to jump from big budget blockbuster to independent minimally financed films, he’s totally convincing as the bizarrely accented and deranged Irish man who strikes up an odd couple relationship with the middleclass dropout who appears to be suffering some kind of midlife crisis that’s never really explained. The director remortgaged his own house to make this very likeable slice of social realism producing a movie that pull’s at the heartstrings, but also making you laugh out loud.

The very versatile Aidan Gillen.

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[1] Official Film Web Site.