It's four years since Chris (Daniel Mays) came back to the London suburb of Dudlowe where he went to school with Shifty (Riz Ahmed). Chris lives in Manchester now, works in recruitment. He's come down on the bus to see his old friend Shifty and go to a party. Shifty's a keen drug dealer, supplying to the council-flat and lower-middle-class neighbourhood where they both grew up. He lives in the twee, clean and neat terraced house of his po-faced older brother Rez (Nitin Ganatra), who disapproves of Shifty and Chris. Rez seems a bit of a prat.

Chris and Shifty are off to Rachel's party tonight, and a few things start to come out as they spend the day together. Builder Trevor Palmer is on cocaine, sacked from his job by construction manager Bob Moran (Eddie Webber) for taking drugs on-site, out of money, desperate. Trevor's partner Jasmine (Dannielle Brent) finds coke on the lavatory and maybe that she's pregnant. She's looking after their little children Katie (Gracie Fitch) and Freddie (Nathaniel Gleed) while Trevor's supposedly out at work. He harrasses Shifty to give him free drugs. Shifty avoids him and sets off, sober Chris in tow, to deliver drugs. They have a run-in with rival drug-dealer Glen (Jason Flemyng), whose druggie girlfriend Loretta (Kate Groombridge) burnt her face against a radiator after Glen injected her. Shifty delivers crack to middle-aged Valerie (Francesca Annis) - who keeps dead stuffed cats in her flat - and gets her neighbours Otis (Rory Jennings) and his girlfriend (Courtney Day) to turn their noise down while recruiting them as new drug clients. They deliver to out-of-it middle-class Blair (Tim Plester) - three lines because it's Friday. Petty thief Malik (Jason Maza) accidentally almost gets them unwanted attention from the police (Simon Paul Sutton, Kevin Ashley), but they manage to slip away.

Chris observes all, taking everything in, and scolds Shifty. Instead of heading for prison, if caught, he could come and live in Manchester with Chris. But Chris isn't founded on virtue. Four years ago he ran away from the neighbourhood after giving pills to Serena - all the characters knew each other since childhood, grew up together - and she died. Shifty was around to get blamed. They're mates, but there are lines of division. And it's Serena's sister Rachel's party tonight - will they go?

Trevor reaches a summit of hate and agression towards Shifty and sets off to confront him. Glen tells their common ultimate drug supplier Magnus (Enoch Frost) that Shifty's defrauding Magnus. Trevor's wife confronts Trevor. Shifty's father (Heronimo Sehmi), mother (Adlyn Ross), their friend Mr Ahmed (Raj Sarin) and Rez wait for him to visit them. Rez waits to confront Shifty. Glen invites Chris to confront his past - and him. As night approaches, Magnus and mates (Michael Skyers, Prem Sharma) plus enforcement equipment set off to administer cataclysmic justice. As the story ratchets up, the converging forces point to a volcanic climax.

Cinematographer Ed Wild produces fine photography, shot on 16mm film. There are great shots of housing estates from the air and close to. Middlingly-prosperous suburban life is exactly captured in his rendering of interiors, front doors, patios, views through windows. Production designer Erik Rehl and art director Damien Creagh evoke sharp depictions of rough urban exteriors, flat interiors matching their occupants, telling details of ornaments and style. Editor Kim Gaster cuts the action to a polished narrative, particularly in the tension-building scenes towards the end. Rebecca Duncan creates and chooses exact clothes for each of the characters. And the scriptwriter has a superb twist (and excellent story-ending end) at the end.

Jay Simpson's Trevor is a vivid highlight of the film. Combining the looks of a reasonable man with boiling internal rage, it's a superb and convincing delivery. Unfortunately the actor playing Trevor's wife Jasmine doesn't pull off Jasmine's anger: her confrontational scene with Trevor which should be a plot climax simply looks like (almost embarrassingly over-acted) acting. Riz Ahmed gives a fine anchor-performance as Shifty, holding the central strands of the plot through a series of encounters, and giving the character a steely three-dimensionality. Daniel Mays gives Chris an oddly saintly inflection. It's partly the almost baby-faced look (crossed with a hint of psychosis) which he evokes in Chris, partly the almost-touchable sense of a soul having been re-born, and bearing up to its test. His reactions - much of the times he is silently witnessing what Shifty does - are sometimes more telling than, or as telling as, Shifty's deeds. The two actors together create - to Eran Creevy's artful script and direction - a solidity of conviction to each scene, as if each fleshes out not only himself, but also the other.

Eran Creevy directs his own script; it's several kinds of story. At one level it's a tale of two friends, and their enduring affection through adversity.

It's about families, too. Apparently-unbearable Rez has a good heart, perhaps - and he certainly has a point; and at the bottom of himself, Shifty has a love for him. Shifty's devoted father and mother care for him still, through the pain of acceptance that their family contains sons differing in quality. Trevor and Jasmine and their children should be a happy family, but sometimes people don't realise what they've got - and must accept the consequences.

Above all, it's an old-fashioned morality tale - the kind in which each person gets just consequences; but with the possibility of redemption (for some).

CAST (film credits order): Shifty - Riz Ahmed. Chris - Daniel Mays. Glen - Jason Flemyng. Rez - Nitin Ganatra. Trevor Palmer - Jay Simpson. Jasmine - Dannielle Brent. Valerie - Francesca Annis. Loretta - Kate Groombridge. Malik - Jason Maza. Lenny - Jordan Long. Otis - Rory Jennings. Otis's Girlfriend - Courtney Day. Katie Palmer - Gracie Fitch. Freddie Palmer - Nathaniel Gleed. Bob Moran - Eddie Webber. Blair - Tim Plester. Shifty's Mum - Adlyn Ross. Shifty's Dad - Heronimo Sehmi. Magnus - Enoch Frost. Heavies - Michael Skyers, Prem Sharma. Mr Ahmed - Raj Sarin. Policemen in Car - Simon Paul Sutton, Kevin Ashley. Surveyor - Drew McKenzie. Credits Source - (mainly) producer's film roll, 9 October 08.

COMPANY: Director - Eran Creevy. Writer - Eran Creevy. Producers - Rory Aitken, Ben Pugh. Director of Photography - Ed Wild. Production Designer - Erik Rehl. Editor - Kim Gaster. Hair & Make Up Designer - Sarah Downes. Costume Designer - Rebecca Duncan. Music by - Molly Nyman and Harry Escott. Casting by - Sasha Robertson. Line Producer - Andrew Hardwick. 1st Assistant Director - Hayley Williams. 2nd Assistant Director - Cecilia Testa. 3rd Assistant Directors - Stuart Jones, Vidaal Nankervis. Additional Assistant - Director Thom Green. Production Coordinators - Demi Jones, Adam Hughes. Production Runners - Marie Hagger, Tom Glover, Jasmin Wilson, Nathan Gallagher, Tanya Singh, Olivia Morris, Eloise Anson. Art Director - Damien Creagh. Assistant Art Director - Will Randall. Standby Art Director - Claire Homewood. Art Dept Assistant - Aisha Young. Art Dept Trainees - Gloria Adesina, Mary Adesina. Casting Assistant - Maddy Hinton. Costume Standby - Camilla Bartholomew. Script Supervisor - Nicoletta Mani. Hair & Make Up Artist - Amanda Burns. Location Manager - Peter Parker. Unit Manager - Amie Tridgell. Location/Production Assistant - Katy Rawlings. Stunt Co-ordinators - Jude Poyer, Nick Chopping. Focus Puller - Mark 'Squirrel' Nutkins. Steadicam Operator - Rupert Power. 2nd Unit DoP - Matt Fox. 2nd Unit Camera Assistant - Chris Nunn. Additional Cameraman - Peter Bateson. Camera Trainees - Christian Louka, Nathaniel Gallagher, Adam Gendle. Gaffer - Paul Allen. Rigging Gaffer - Robin Brigham. Additional Electricians - Tim O'Connell, Mickey Reeves, Neil Blackman, James Foreman. Script Editor - Toby Rushton. Stills Photographer - Natalie Chamberlain. EPK Director - Dewi Bruce-Konuah. Unit Publicity - Freud Communications. Unit Publicists - Eve Ragout, Sasha Gibson. Supervising Production Accountant - Dan Hillsdon. Edit Facilities - Edit Hire. Picture Post Production - Prime Focus. Colourist - Richard Fearon. Online Editor - Alan Maiden. Producer -Prime Focus - Reuben Goodyear. Title Design - Kemistry. Sound Recordist - Kieron Teather. Boom Operators - Daniel Rosen, Gavin Marshall, Ben Greaves. Sound Designer - Kieron Teather. Dialogue Editor - Richard Kondall. Sound Mix by - Richard Davey. Sound Mixed at - Clarity. Supervising Sound Editor - Joakim Sundstrom. Music Mix Engineer - Nick Cervonaro. Assistant Mix Engineer - Olga Fitzroy. Technical Score Assistant - Ian Wood. Music performed by - The Samphire Band. Violin - Gaby Lester. Viola - Cathy Thompson. Cello - Caroline Dearnley. Flute - Alison Hayhurst. Clarinet - Nikki Baigent. Bassoon - Julie Andrews. Guitars - Craig Fortnam. Double Bass - Gareth Huw Davies. Drums and Percussion - Hugh Wilkinson and Joe Caddy. Score Recorded and Mixed at - Air Studios, London. For Film London: Creative Executives - Mia Bays, Soledad Gatti-Pascual. Head of Production - Maggie Ellis. Production Finance & Business Affairs - Mike Kelly. Production Assistant - Tom Kirk. Production Accounts Assistant - Lynne Samuelson. Marketing Consultant - Mia Bays. For BBC Films - Steve Jenkins. Production Contact - Between The Eyes - Jessica Wylie. Action Vehicles - MGM Cars. Standby Vehicles provided by - LAYS International. Unit Driver - Steve Heath. Camera & Lighting Vehicle Driver - Paul Heffernan. Production Cars - Focus Transport. Caterers - Georgie's. Camera supplied by - Joe Dunton Cameras. Film Stock - Fujifilm. Production Insurance Services - Marsh Ltd. Lab and Processing - Todd AO. Radios - Wavevend Communications. With Special Thanks To: Bubsey,, Sandy Lieberson, Maxwell Beaverbrook, Agis Louka, Susie Beaverbrook, Noel McCoy, Joel Bird, Duncan Napier-Bell, Trisha Boland, Nick Napier-Bell, Luke Brady, Tricia Newman, Alison Burton and everyone at Air Studios, Andy Noble, Ricky Churchill, Doug & Rose Pugh, Ann Cleary, Mickey Pugh, Oliver Davey, Rob Purvis, Dave Davies, Laura Ricketts, Ben Dillon, Chris & Karen Roskell, Kevin Dolan, Eddie Ruffett, Elstree Film Studios, Prem Sharma, Peter Ettedgui, Guy Sheppard and everyone at Wiggin, Everyone at Film London, Krishan Singh, Kate Goldsmith, Graham Stajkowski, Peter Higginson, Danny Thurgood, Simon Jones, Julie Wicks, Asif Kapadia, Mickey Woolfson, Shafiq Khan, Adrian Wootton, Paul Lay. Companies: A Microwave Film produced with the support of Film London and with funding from the National Lottery. Dudlowe Films Ltd. Logos: FujiFilm, Film London, Microwave, National Lottery, BBC Films, London Development Agency. (c) Between The Eyes and Film London 2008. Credits Source - producer's film roll, 9 October 08. Additional items (various websites 7 October 08): Director's Mentor - Asif Kapadia. Distributor - Metrodrome Distribution. Format - 16mm Eterna 500T 8673, Eterna 250D 8663. Country - UK. Year - 2008. Running Time - 86 min.

END

John Park

reviewed Tuesday 7 October 08 / press screening / NFT1, National Film Theatre, London

Fringe Report (c) Fringe Report 2002-2012

www.fringereport.com