London To Brighton (DVD)

...discovery for the viewer. London to Brighton is an extremely clever movie which uses brilliantly positioned flashbacks to tell the story. Each and every scene is impeccably played out and directed, and there are no unnecessary bits intended to draw out the movie to make up time. The scene settings are suitably shady and sinister, and even Brighton (whether a fluke or planned) has been captured on one of its bad days when the weather is cold and dreary. ...
...getting acclaim for it! London to Brighton was his first attempt at writing and directing, and with a relatively minimal budget and unknown actors one could say it was doomed from the very beginning... but low and behold, London to Brighton raked in 6 award nominations with 6 wins! Paul won a BAFTA for the most promising newcomer (director) in the industry, and similar awards from The British Independent Film Awards, Evening Standard British Film ... more

Directed by Paul Andrew Williams
Writing by Paul Andrew Williams

Country UK – Thriller Rated 18
Filmed in Brighton - East Sussex - London

Released 1st December, 2006

CAST:

Lorraine Stanley as Kelly
Johnny Harris as Derek
Georgia Groome as Joanne
Sam Spruell as Stuart Allen
Alexander Morton as Duncan Allen
Nathan Constance as Chum
Claudie Blakley as Tracey
Jamie Kenna as Tony
David Keeling as Charlie
Jack Deam as Paul
Chloe Bale as Karen

SUMMARY:

At precisely 3:07AM, Joanne (Georgia Groome) is in a sleazy public toilet somewhere in South London. Joanne, who is an 11 year old runaway, is crying her heart out whilst Kelly (Lorraine Stanley), a prostitute, attempts to console her. Kelly’s face is badly bruised and battered, and already starting to swell. At that precise moment, not too far from there, Duncan Allen (Alexander Morton) lies in a pool of blood in his luxurious bathroom, slowly bleeding to death. Duncan’s son, Stuart Allen (Sam Spruell) finds his father, and immediately sends thugs out to find out what happened. He wants answers, and won’t stop until he finds the person responsible for his father’s murder. When Stuart finds out that his father was with a hired prostitute and a child, he finds the pimp responsible for sending the prostitute and the child, and tells him, none too kindly, that he wants the prostitute and the child now. Derek (Johnny Harris), who is Kelly’s pimp, knows he needs to hand Kelly and the child over to Stuart if he wants to continue living, so he sets out to track them down with the assistance of Chum (Nathan Constance).

Meanwhile, Kelly, knowing she and Joanne are in danger, boards a train with the child in the direction of Brighton. Along the way, the two will develop a type of mother-daughter bonding, and this short trip will turn into a voyage of self-discovery for both.

* * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * *

This movie is not for the light-hearted, which is why it has been rated 18. Violence, drugs and coarse language flow from scene to scene, and there are more disturbing moments than can be counted. The glimpse you will get of London’s seedier side will remain with you forever... this is a journey of discovery for the two main actresses in the movie, but it is also a journey of discovery for the viewer. London to Brighton is an extremely clever movie which uses brilliantly positioned flashbacks to tell the story. Each and every scene is impeccably played out and directed, and there are no unnecessary bits intended to draw out the movie to make up time. The scene settings are suitably shady and sinister, and even Brighton (whether a fluke or planned) has been captured on one of its bad days when the weather is cold and dreary. All in all, the movie is a tense experience with an ever-present cloud of gloom hanging over it, and will play upon every single one of the viewer’s emotions.

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Lorraine Stanley, who plays Kelly, does a remarkable job of drawing the viewer into her own world... which is extraordinarily realistic and sinister. Kelly, whom I guess to be in her late 20’s or early 30’s, has not had an easy life. She has been abused and battered, and can barely remember a time when she was not roaming the streets as a prostitute. Selling her body comes naturally to her and is a part of her life. She’s street smart, possesses innumerable rough-edges, but there is a gentler side to her that none are ever allowed to see. The real Kelly is buried so deep even she has trouble remembering who she once was. Kelly is a fighter, made tougher through the years, and although her life has hit rock bottom, she will not, for reasons of her own, attempt to change it. However, regardless that she has accepted the life she lives and expects nothing better, she refuses to let Joanne follow in her footsteps.

Georgia Groome, who plays 11 year old runaway Joanne, is worryingly convincing in her role. Joanne is a tough little cookie that just falls short of being convincing. You can easily glimpse the innocence that lurks just beneath the surface, but she tries so hard to appear older and wiser that it touches a chord deep inside the heart of the viewer. When you first see her sitting on a step leading to London’s underground, begging for money, you just want to cry. She is a runaway, an innocent young child, and seeing her in such a grim setting is beyond a mother’s human endurance... but it’s all part of the movie, and it’s what makes this movie so emotionally charged. Georgia Groome is only 13, but her acting skills are incredible for one so young... thankfully, the director, Paul Andrew Williams, has already stated that she has not been allowed to view the completed movie, and will not be allowed to view it in cinemas until she is much older.

Sam Spruell has done a brilliant job of breathing life into his character. Stuart Allen is a sinister character indeed... wealthy, powerful and totally lacking in empathy... or is he? Stuart is the perfect bad guy, and pulls it off brilliantly regardless of the disturbing flashbacks of his life when he was a child. There is an underlying sense of madness to this character, a feeling of soullessness... a total lack of conscience. Only one thing is absolutely certain with this character, he will stop at nothing to find Kelly and Joanne, and he will most definitely get revenge for his father’s death.

I could go through all the characters, from the disgusting little worm that is Derek (the pimp), to the long-suffering and reluctant friend (Nathan Constance) who accompanies him on his mission to find Kelly and Joanne, but there are simply too many of them. Let it simply be said that all the characters possess incredible depth, and that fault cannot be found in the acting.

As for the director/writer, Paul Andrew Williams, let it be known that he has managed to turn an extremely low budget first feature film into something totally incredible and compelling. From what I have read on Paul, he never actually considered this movie as good until he started getting acclaim for it! London to Brighton was his first attempt at writing and directing, and with a relatively minimal budget and unknown actors one could say it was doomed from the very beginning... but low and behold, London to Brighton raked in 6 award nominations with 6 wins! Paul won a BAFTA for the most promising newcomer (director) in the industry, and similar awards from The British Independent Film Awards, Evening Standard British Film Awards, etc...

This is a remarkable movie, gritty, tense, and emotionally draining... and so worth the money you will pay to either rent or buy it. 

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