Somers Town
is on familiar ground with his latest film, the story of a friendship that develops between two teenagers when they meet in North London's . In several of his previous films, including A Room for Romeo Brass, 24/7 and This Is England, the director has explored the connection between friends (or people who pass for friends) during adolescence. The main differences between the earlier films and are to do with texture rather than theme - this being Meadows' first feature to be shot in London and his first in black & white since Small Time in 1996.
, who played the central role in , is Tomo, a runaway from Nottingham and a slightly older and much more cocky version of his character in the earlier film. After a series of mishaps on arriving in London Tomo falls in with Marek (Piotr Jagiello) a lonely Polish teenager who spends his days roaming around Somers Town taking photographs while his father is at work. Under Tomo's influence the quiet Marek begins drinking and shoplifting, but when he does start breaking the rules it is shown - rather refreshingly - as a liberating experience rather than a step towards ruin. Some have commented on the lighter tone of the film, but there are comical moments in even Meadows' darkest films and in Somers Town there are moments when things could go badly wrong for Tomo and Marek.
That said, while some of the chat between the two boys is warmly done and both the young leads are appealing, the film feels slight. By the time a mawkish infatuation with a French waitress became the focus of the film I had lost interest in the adventures of Tomo and Marek, and the saccharine ending did nothing to revive me. I'm an admirer of some of Meadows' work - in particular the revenge tragedy - which is one of the best British films of recent years. I didn't feel the same about This Is England, which seemed to have more in common with than . It wasn't a bad film, but it was as if the critics had discovered that rarest of creatures, a reasonably popular British filmmaker still living in Britain, and had decided that he could do no wrong.
Much of the discussion of Somers Town has mentioned the company who provided funding for the project, who must be delighted with the return they have made on their investment. I realise that it's difficult for filmmakers to fund their work and that product placement is almost everywhere these days, but I felt conscious of being sold to. The Dark Knight may feature particular types of car or tailored suit, but that's far less intrusive, in my view, than a story which not only refers to its sponsor on numerous occasions, but whose denouement is inextricably linked to it. As Marek and Tomo pick up their tickets for a journey to Paris the black & white of London suddenly turns to colour, and my amazement at the fact that this film was named the best British film at the Edinburgh Film Festival was reinforced. I haven't been distracted from the merits of Somers Town by the issue of its funding - I just don't think it's a very good film.
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