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Charismatic Turgoose, who made his impressive debut in Meadows’ previous film This is England, plays Tomo, running away from an unhappy home life to take his chances in the capital. He alights in Somers Town, a rundown chunk of north London around Euston, Kings Cross and St Pancras. Alone, penniless, and robbed of his few possessions, Tomo hooks up with Marek, a Polish lad whose father is in London to work on the new Eurostar international terminal. Marek is a loner too, wandering the streets taking photos while he waits for his Dad to come home. Shot in black and white, with a leisured naturalism and careful observation of the lives it represents, the film is reminiscent of the French New Wave and British Realist cinema of the early ‘60’s. It is gritty and frank but by no means bleak – there is an optimism and irrepressibility about the two heroes who do not pity themselves but make the best of things. There are moments of trouble, argument and sorrow, but the tension is always quickly resolved with a laugh, and the overall impression is one of good humor and essential decency. A film to put a smile on your face.
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