London to Brighton Skinnyfest 3
There is an affecting tenderness in the depiction of the central relationship and a sense of quiet optimism throughout.
From its opening moment London to Brighton launches the audience head-first into its frenzied action at once disarming and disorientating the viewer. Two girls, verging on hysterics, burst into a public toilet. Traumatised by what they have just experienced and driven by panic and fear, they decide to escape London for the sea-side refuge of Brighton. As previous events reveal themselves through flashbacks, the nature of their unusual relationship emerges.
Thrown together by circumstance, compassion and mutual terror the elder, Kelly, a street-walker, becomes surrogate mother to Joanne, an eleven-year-old runaway. Behind them, back in London, a sadistic crime-lord wants answers and Kelly's pimp, Derek (a fascinating portrayal of small-time criminal scum) needs to save his own skin. The eventual congregation of these characters makes for a tense and harrowing denouement.
London to Brighton is a captivating study of Britain's criminal underworld without all the supposed glamour of a Guy Ritchie movie. To describe it as gritty, sobering and emotionally draining would be an understatement; this is more than just a kitchen-sink drama. Nothing in this picture is black and white, each character is multi-faceted and Williams, the director, casts no-one as simply good or bad. There is an affecting tenderness in the depiction of the central relationship and a sense of quiet optimism throughout. The attention to detail and setting is remarkable and the ensemble acting is exceptional. Lorraine Stanley's performance as Kelly, the tart with a heart, is particularly complex and powerful. At times disturbing and distressing, this film has the viewer on edge from the very start, but if you can bear it you'll reap the rewards.
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