bandw This story has Tomo, a young teen (apparently homeless) from Nottingham coming to London. He lands in the area of London known as Somers Town and his first encounter has him being robbed and beaten by three young toughs. Tomo encounters Marek, a young Polish immigrant, in a local café. The aggressive and outgoing Tomo and the shy, lonely Marek make for an improbable match, but they gradually become fast friends.One of the delights of the film is in its capturing the close friendship between the two boys. Both boys are taken with a somewhat older French waitress in the café where they met (Tomo remarks several times how "fit" she is). Emotions run high among these three. Older viewers will likely be reminded of how intensely life is experienced when young.At seventy minutes this has the structure of a short story. Things progress with sweetness and gentle humor until a powerfully dramatic scene between Marek and his father is inserted toward the end. Most of the movie is filmed in black and white. Indeed the photographic contrast is dramatic, giving the impression that there are not many shades of gray to take the edge off the black and white. The soundtrack contains original music by Gavin Clark that adds much to the experience. The song, "When We had Faces" enhances the charming final scenes, leaving you on a high as the film closes.

JoeytheBrit Shane Meadows is undoubtedly a filmmaker of immense talent capable of producing powerful movies but he seems to have wandered off the path a little here and seems a little bemused by the distractions he has stumbled upon. This story of the unlikely friendship between a working class Nottingham lad and the son of a Polish labourer in London contains only the most cursory of plots, and as the film unfolds the suspicion grows that, even at little more than an hour long, there's a little too much padding here. There are two musical montages - one, in colour, which may be a dream or wish-fulfilment sequence - and a sub-plot about the relationship between Marek and his hard-drinking father that goes nowhere.Lack of a storyline isn't necessarily a bad thing (and despite the negative tone of this review Somers Town isn't a bad film), but if a filmmaker is going to rely on observation in a character-driven tale then those characters have to be interesting. The youngsters give decent performances - especially Thomas Turgoose, who also appeared in Meadows' This Is England, and the director's eye for detail means that the film doesn't feel boring, but once it's over you're left wondering what the point was - and the significance (or wisdom) of having Turgoose's character ending up wearing a dress and dusting knick-knacks like a midget housewife near the film's conclusion.

tracy_flick Black, white and nothing else - such movies painted this way are sadly relegated to a bottom tier, undeniably niche to punters and commercially risky for studios. When I hear people tell me they don't like watching anything that isn't in full colour because it seems weird, I feel lucky to have got past that hurdle. It is the same thing for foreign films with subtitles and those that are in 3-D. As viewers we are taken out of our comfort zone, and not everyone likes to be jerked around from normal habits. I have rarely hidden my delight in the particular form of black-and-white in motion pictures. Talk to a professional photographer and gather opinions from those who work in the field. Black-and-white creates starker imagery and people look better when natural light is absorbed. Take Thomas Turgoose, for example, a name you will likely recall and a face you will never forget from "Eden Lake" and "This Is England." He has a distinctive look, partially due to medical reasons, and that was highlighted in those colour movies. In "Somers Town" his character is pummelled ferociously by a trio of streetwise hooligans. He recovers to the nearest bathroom and washes his wounds. And you know what? He still looks like a movie star.Read the full review at my personal website: http://www.sightforallseasons.co.nr/

bob the moo The English press have perhaps been a bit too kind to this film because I came to it with lots of glowing and very positive reviews in my ears. This is understandable given the way it was made and, more importantly, that it was made by British director Shane Meadows, in yet another different entry in his resume. Following the success of This is England, Meadows has come south for a small story about a minor friendship between two young men who finds themselves in need of one another to some extent. Tomo has left Nottingham and found himself with nowhere to go in London and is robbed his first night in town. Marek is an immigrant who lives in a basic flat with his father but spends the majority of his time alone. The two meet in a café where Marek is fixated on the pretty French waitress and, after initial conflict, a uneasy friendship develops.The film is comparatively quite short but accordingly it is also a very slight affair, with a very basic plot in place that is secondary to the general air of the film and the exploration of the world they find themselves in. I can understand why this would put many off because for the majority of the film (if not all the film) it can feel like "nothing" is happening – mainly because it isn't. The film relies a lot on the feel of it and our interest in the two boys and I think it almost relies on this too much without giving us a lot of reason to care narrative-wise. That said though, the easy chemistry that develops between the two boys is quite affecting and their relative naivety and desire for a woman out of their reach does ring true as part of a growing up process. The fact that the bigger picture of these two lives is largely left in the background is a bit of a problem but then it is hard to see how all that could have been brought in with the budget and time constraints.Meadows directs the film well though and should be commended for staying in smaller British films that he wants to make. The hand-held style here takes a minute to get used to but with his camera and his script he is kind to the characters – not blind to who they are but not judgemental visually or thematically. He gets very good performances as well. Turgoose doesn't quite impress as he did when he had stronger material but his is still an affecting turn. Better though is Jagiello, who is wonderfully shy and interesting as a delivered character. Lasowski may have a tiny part but her light, Gaelic sexiness is perfect for the type of character she has to play within the film. Czop is convincing and I also enjoyed Benson's small-time wheeler/dealer.Overall Somers Town is not that great a film and it will not show up amongst the best works from Meadows but it is not without its appeal. The plot is simple and doesn't go anywhere or real import but the film works in the realism and warmth of the two main characters and their small interactions. Not as brilliant as some would have you believe but a perfectly fine little film with a simple agenda.