SOMERS TOWN

"I can't wear this! I look stupid"

Tomo (Turgoose) travels down to London from Nottingham to try and start a new life for himself but on his first night in the capital he is mugged, beaten up and all his worldly possessions taken from him. Forced to live on the streets, he meets a young Polish boy named Marek (Jagiello) and the pear quickly become friends. When Marek introduces Tomo to Maria (Lasowski), the beautiful French girl who works at the local café, the pair both fall for her and dream of the perfect day out with their dream girl.

When it comes to picking out the British directors who deserve more attention than they are currently getting, many movie fans and critics alike who say Shane Meadows and with 'Somers Town' he shows that he deserves that greater attention.

When Shane Meadows' made his feature writing and directing debut in 1997 with '24/7: Twenty Four Seven', critics saw real potential in this young filmmaker who managed to draw out performances from a young, inexperienced cast that oozed in realism and charm, all with the experienced Bob Hoskins steering the ship. His second feature, 'A Room for Romeo Brass', saw another movie with Hoskins and his first collaboration with Paddy Considine but it was the performances of the unknown two child actors that shown. 'Once Upon a Time in the Midlands' came next but didn't really have the same impact, even though the performances were still very good. It was his next film in 2004 that really showed how good a writer/director Shane Meadows can be and that film as 'Dead Man's Shoes'. With an astonishing performance from Paddy Considine, this was the independent film of the year. In 2006 his followed this with 'This is England', a semi-autobiographical look at the 1980s and what it was like to be a skinhead but again it was the performances from the young cast, especially debutant Thomas Turgoose that stood out, making Shane Meadows a director who can definitely get the most out of any of his actors.

For 'Somers Town', his way of filmmaking didn't change but the approach was a little different. Financed by Eurostar, this short film is a character study of two teenage boys living in Somers Town, central London, one a polish immigrant Marek and the other a boy from the north Tomo, moving to the big city to make a life for himself. The two meet and become friends and the film deals with their friends, their first love and keeping Tomo away from the authorities and most importantly Marek's father. While the premise is simple, it is the execution that makes this movie such a gem.

Returning to work with Shane Meadows again, Grimsby born actor Thomas Turgoose proves he is one of the most naturalistic, young actors working today and has a bright future in the business. As Tomo, the teenager who moves to London to escape his life in the North, he creates a character that is instantly likeable and provides so many laugh-out-loud moments that will remind you of when you were a teenager. With the character of Tomo providing the laughs it is Marek that has to be the straight man and young Polish actor Piotr Jagiello is excellent. It is their interaction and growing friendship, even though they are complete opposites. There is also good support from Perry Benson as local London 'Businessman' Graham, Elisa Lasowski as the object of Tomo and Marek's affections Maria and Ireneusz Czop as Marek's father.

'Somers Town' is a gem of a movie and one that will stay with you for a very long time. With excellent, naturalistic performances from two young lead actors, the short film shows again how good a director Shane Meadows is and that critics, fans and cinemagoers should look forward to every film he releases.

PICTURE & SOUND

Presented in Widescreen 1.85:1 Anamorphic with a Dolby Digital 5.1 soundtrack, the transfer is good.

BONUS FEATURES

Interview with Perry Benson (5.38 mins)
The man who played local London 'Businessman' Graham, talks about working with Shane Meadows, his directing style and what it was like working with the young actors.

Interview with Thomas Turgoose and Piotr Jagiello (6.20 mins)
The two stars of the film talk about how they got involved, working with Shane Meadows, the improvisational style of filmmaking and how they have become friends.

Interview with Shane Meadows (14.41 mins)
The director of the movie talks about how he got involved, the financing of the movie, the story, casting the characters and filming the short film.

Shane Meadows Master Class at the Tribeca Film Festival (1hr 08mins)
Watch the British director take you through the production of the movie, how he makes movies and working with young actors. This is a fascinating insight into lower budget filmmaking and how this fantastic director works.

TV Spots (1.04 mins)
Watch two TV spots that promoted the film on Television

Trailer (1.59 mins)
Watch the trailer that promoted the film on the internet and in theatres

Previews
Trailers for 'Son of Rambow', 'Persopolis' and 'Cassandra's Dream'

OVERALL

The DVD treatment for 'Somers Town' is one that fans of the movie will enjoy. The interviews are very good and the Tribeca Master Class is well worth watching. The only shame is the lack of a commentary track but other than this, this is still a very good package for a low budget, short film.

DVD

This is England

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2008