A young man works as a windscreen washer at a busy traffic lights in Essex. He works hard but has small hopes for the future. He looks after his Nan and visits her in the nursing home when not working with his mate Chris. However one moment in his day leads to changes in the direction of his life.
I taped this not knowing what it was about, so I was open to anything as long as it worked and was good. The film itself is very enjoyable but the plot is not up to it. The actual story is Ok but it doesn't quite come together in a way that is satisfying - the action towards the end is not followed through to the extent that it's meaning or significant to Jimmy is totally clear.
What saves the film is the fact that it is delivered with great professionalism and style (even if that style is too heavily borrowed from other sources). The film is visually pretty sharp and the use of music and camera angles is good as it makes it feel very lively and energetic. There is an element of `youf' programming in it and at times the use of very obvious pop tracks feels lazy but it still carries energy with it.
The acting is very good and all feels natural. The only exception is Jimmy's Nan and his dad although in fairness they do have quite flat characters with no real development time or natural circumstances in which to be seen. Other than these the mainly young cast do really well and their natural performances really help carry the film.
Overall this is polished, stylish and has good performances but really lacks cohesion and meaning in the plot. It is a shame because I was looking for the film to really have a good ending rather than one which is positive but still quite open. Good film despite the slight failings in content.
I taped this not knowing what it was about, so I was open to anything as long as it worked and was good. The film itself is very enjoyable but the plot is not up to it. The actual story is Ok but it doesn't quite come together in a way that is satisfying - the action towards the end is not followed through to the extent that it's meaning or significant to Jimmy is totally clear.
What saves the film is the fact that it is delivered with great professionalism and style (even if that style is too heavily borrowed from other sources). The film is visually pretty sharp and the use of music and camera angles is good as it makes it feel very lively and energetic. There is an element of `youf' programming in it and at times the use of very obvious pop tracks feels lazy but it still carries energy with it.
The acting is very good and all feels natural. The only exception is Jimmy's Nan and his dad although in fairness they do have quite flat characters with no real development time or natural circumstances in which to be seen. Other than these the mainly young cast do really well and their natural performances really help carry the film.
Overall this is polished, stylish and has good performances but really lacks cohesion and meaning in the plot. It is a shame because I was looking for the film to really have a good ending rather than one which is positive but still quite open. Good film despite the slight failings in content.
