Somers Town (2008) User Reviews

Cute? Hardly - A Powerful Commentary on Contemporary England

[Psychojon · 8/10 · 26 August 2008]

Others have written that this film is a cute coming-of-age platonic love story. Well, that's one way of viewing the film. Another more direct reading is to look at the relationships between the white English and the immigrants (Polish and French). Both sets of people are portrayed somewhat stereotypically. The white English are Del Boy wideboys, lazy, rude, chavlike, selfish, self-centred, always on the scrounge, moaning, violent, loutish and drunk. The immigrants are decent hard-working people with a moral compass, who know what's right and what's wrong. Despite these stereotypical characters, this is an amazingly powerful film.

I'm a white middle-class English man and I've spent a lot of my life living in inner cities (London, Manchester, Birmingham, Wolverhampton and Milton Keynes). You know what? - these stereotypes rang (frighteningly) true to me. The film captured many of my frustrations with the way that the English national culture has changed; less tolerant, less considerate, less welcoming, more something-for-nothing. This is England today. The film made me feel ashamed of what we have become.

I left the cinema saddened; thinking that England could once again become a great country to live in if only we could remove all the bloody English.

Funny and poignant - a great British film

[Robert_Woodward · 8/10 · 29 August 2008]

Shane Meadows' new release, Somers Town, has received mixed reviews in the British press. The film has received criticism for its source of funding, having been developed with the funding of Eurostar from a promotional short to a fully-fledged feature. But beyond this, Somers Town has been criticised for being short, inconclusive and too whimsical in handling its grim subject matter. I would contend that although the style of Meadows sits rather awkwardly with the involvement of Eurostar, the film itself is a triumph: funny, intelligent and poignant.

Set in an area of inner city London near the construction site of the new Eurostar train terminal, the film follows the fortunes of two young boys from troubled backgrounds. Tomo, played by Thomas Thurgoose, arrives in London on a train from Nottingham, having run away from home. He never lets on about where he came from, and when asked he says that there is 'nothing' there. When Tomo reaches London he is soon set upon by a gang of youths. The camera moves uncomfortably close to Tomo and the bullying youths and the subsequent chase and beating set a dark undertone for the rest of the film. Thurgoose is superb in this lead role, cheeky, rude even, but charming and disarming – a far cry from the youths who attack him in the film's opening.

Tomo crosses paths with Marek (played by Piotr Jagiello), a young Polish immigrant living with his father, Marius. Marius is working long hours on the building site of the future Eurostar terminal and Marek is listless in his absence, roving the streets of London with his camera until he bumps into the disruptive Tomo. The two boys, though from very different backgrounds, are essentially rootless, and soon become friends. Together they vie for the attention of Maria, the beautiful waitress working in a local café, leading to some of the happiest scenes in the film. They also help out budding salesman Graham, a slightly absurd and very amusing Del Boy character.

The dialogue amongst the characters in Somers Town is excellent, often hilarious but at times sad and moving. Thurgoose delivers his lines with a sharp wit and the film is at its funniest when the two boys compete for the affection of Maria. The darker scenes in the film, including the attack on Tomo and the falling-out between Marek and Marius, are believably portrayed and equally engaging. Where the dialogue flags is where the new Eurostar terminal – and the accompanying ideas of travel and escape – work their way into the story. It is difficult to disregard the source of funding for the film and it is at these points in the film that there is a vague whiff of product placement.

Nevertheless, it seems that Shane Meadows has used the creative licence afforded to him to re-work the original short film idea into a distinctive work. Although his film runs to only 75 minutes it does not feel insubstantial or inconclusive – quite the contrary. The wistful, poignant ending throws light on the preceding film and affirms the themes of rootlessness, despair and dreams of escape.

With the wealth of Hollywood blockbusters and fine foreign-language films being produced this year it has been easy to overlook the films emerging closer to home, but this superb film has made me sit up and look for more British cinema.

for my money, better than 'This is England'

[cudas · 8/10 · 18 February 2008]

Though clearly a bit of a "quickie" project made in the immediate afterglow of This Is England - and featuring that film's young star Thomas Turgoose in one of the two main roles - the DV-shot, (mainly) black-and-white, minimal-budgeted 'Somers Town' is by no means a "minor" Meadows. Indeed, in terms of tonal consistency, concision and cumulative emotional wallop, it's in several ways a more satisfying enterprise than its bigger, BAFTA-winning "brother". Indeed (again), there have been very few more moving films from any director since Meadows' own Dead Man's Shoes (2004) - though in this instance it's very much a case of joyful rather than sorrowful tears. This is a delightful, quietly topical, deceptively slight miniature about teenage friendship and first love - scarcely new subjects for cinema, but handled with sufficient sensitivity, humour and spirit to emphatically justify such a choice of material. Meadows and his scriptwriter Paul Fraser, meanwhile, deserve particular credit for so deftly maintaining such a delicate balance between the bouncily engaging story and its sad, even tragic subtexts.

Well-made but curiously uninvolving

[JoeytheBrit · 6/10 · 28 April 2009]

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.

slight, but affecting

[bandw · 7/10 · 12 September 2012]

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.

Too much of too little

[Otoboke · 27 August 2008]

Somers Town is a typical example of an indie film made for the sake of being indie; it's distilled, slow moving and at times poignantly moving in as much of an anti-melodramatic manner as possible, yet it's also blatantly empty, pointless and more often than not, unremarkable. Coming off of his critically acclaimed This Is England, director Shane Meadows here crafts a mostly pedestrian feature that doesn't quite understand the distinction between meditative and sleepy. Sure enough it can be an amusing seventy minutes, with some nice scenes between two very capable actors who play natural characters, but as a whole, these sets of ideas never really mesh into one coherent piece of work. Being more likely to induce drowsiness rather than enlightenment, Somers Town, much like it's closing sequence, is like watching someone's holiday photos as they prattle on about their mundane day over each slide; at times there will be something interesting to be heard, but it just never seems to justify taking the time to do so. This is a shame because deep within the movie, there is definite heart and some strong themes, yet smothered by countless scenes of uninteresting, minute details, this follow up to Meadows' previous success feels more like a forgettable intermission rather than a whole, solid production.

Set in modern day London, around the construction of the Channel train system, Somers Town tells the tale of two teenage boys as they slowly find their way into their new and unfamiliar setting. Tomo (Thomas Turgoose) is from the East-Midlands of England, and having "nothing" back home (this is all that is revealed) has ventured to London to try and make something of himself; he doesn't know what he's going to do, but it seems he doesn't have much choice either way. Marek (Piotr Jagiello) is from Poland, having moved with his father to England after his parents break-up back home. Eventually both characters meet, and through their mutual alienation of being away from home and having nothing to do, they form a friendship. What follows from here is a whimsy, but deeply grounded tale that attempts to document the coming of age of two young lads as they come to terms with their new surroundings, and their new partnership. It can be sweet and fun to watch as the boys run mischief and share their conflicting ideas on topics such as food and women, yet much of this is saved for the remaining second half of the feature. The first half is notably dim, and although has its moments, feels more like an overlong introduction.

Shot in monochrome, the film takes on a style that is reminiscent of this year's In Search of a Midnight Kiss in its romanticism of an otherwise dreary, worn down city. This side of London isn't pretty, as Tomo finds out early on when he's brutally mugged, and so the photography does well to echo the film's more ambitious, arty nuances used to portray the gritty, down to earth side of the story. One thing that it complements really well however, and not to positive effect, is the film's minimalist nature; the black and white does well to bring to the life the film's greatest, most poignant sequences, yet the filling between these areas becomes a lot less interesting to watch as a result. This was a problem in the aforementioned film also, but being that Somers Town is dramatically shorter winded, the less successful moments don't hinder the film's romanticism of realism to irreversible effect. The soundtrack is just as bare, and features the rather worn-out acoustic, indie compositions that fit the tone of the film well, but never go anywhere or do anything remarkable; it's developed at a suitable pace, yet the score itself is too timid and dry to warrant much attention outside of its cliché appearance.

The primary intention that writer Paul Fraser here seems to striving for is simply to make us laugh, and such he does, but not very often. In fact he does a whole lot more than strike a chuckle or two; he crafts realistic, three-dimensional characters, he uses natural dialogue and mundane chatter to occupy his story, but such is where these small indulgences in practising the mundane becomes mundane in themselves. To be able to write everyday life, one can certainly involve realistic banter, dry themes and an almost nonexistent, nonlinear storyline, but when such is translated onto the big screen, it looses its relevancy. Somers Town certainly has integrity, and it has genuine heart, but in the end its pedestrian approach simply becomes too much of too little to achieve what it is obviously setting out to do. The actors do a strong job with the script and meadows certainly manages to get more than a few compelling scenes out of all involved, but the overwhelming feeling by the end is one of disquieted indifference; there's no denying that these seventy minutes feature some fine moments, but such indulgences could probably have been better suited to a short film format. It's a decently short affair for those who can appreciate dry-bones, hyper-realism cinema, but for anyone looking for anything profound or entertaining, you should probably stay away from Somers Town less you be mugged of your consciousness.

• A review by Jamie Robert Ward. For more reviews of all the latest movies please visit: http://www.invocus.net

Ticket To Ride

[Ron Plasma · 6/10 · 2 December 2008]

Much as I love Shane Meadows, and much as I enjoyed the the naivety of Tommy Turgoose in last year's excellent "This Is England", I'm afraid TT cannot carry a film alone. This was a slight, easily forgotten film. Which is a pity, because I'm sure it was full of good intentions and superb craftsmanship, well beyond the contractual obligations of Eurostar's funding.

I'm sorry if the above comment does not contain enough lines - the minimum length for comments is 10 lines of text, but I refuse to pad the comment with junk words which might result in my account being blocked from future submissions.

What's Next?

Ron (Viewed 25Feb08)

One of the most charming coming-of-age films in years

[larry-411 · 10/10 · 14 May 2008]

"Somers Town" is one of the sweetest little films of any festival this year. Shane Meadows ("This Is England"), directing from a strikingly authentic Paul Fraser script, has crafted a winner with so much to like that it's hard to know where to begin.

The film takes its name from an area of inner London where the landscape is dominated by monstrous natural gas tanks and the construction of a station for a Channel Tunnel rail link. Marek (Piotr Jagiello) lives in the shadow of the humongous structure and spends his days shooting photographs of the area and trying to stay occupied as his father toils away at the construction site. Like many in the town, they are Polish immigrants who came looking for work and stayed. One day Tomo (Thomas Turgoose) appears out of nowhere, a boy Marek's age who is little more than a street urchin from the East Midlands to the locals. A fortuitous meeting between the two boys forges an unlikely friendship. Tomo is a tough punk (or thinks he is) and Marek is introspective and sensitive -- it's the basis for a character arc which is classic in the coming-of-age genre. We know where they're going -- how they get there is at the heart of "Somers Town." The outstanding supporting cast includes a sweetly understated Elisa Lasowski as Maria, the local girl who they both fall for, and the hilarious Perry Benson as Graham, who provides much of the film's comic relief (not that it needs any more than the boys already provide) as an eccentric neighbor who is literally indescribable. But it's the on screen chemistry between the boys which makes "Somers Town" the gem that it is. In a wise casting move, Turgoose and Jagiello, both 15, are the same age as their characters. In one scene where the two party a little too hearty, Meadows simply directed them to have fun and let the cameras roll. The result is one of the best scenes in any film I saw here this year.

"Somers Town" surprises at every turn. The film is shot completely in black and white save for the final sequence. It's a rarely used technique which, although unfamiliar at first, quickly falls away as the viewer focuses on the budding relationship between Tomo and Marek. After awhile we don't even notice the absence of color, for the story itself provides a rainbow of feelings. This device also makes lighting somewhat irrelevant, which allows a focus more on the characters rather than the look of the film. The soundtrack is simply a perfect match, with a playlist of tender acoustic songs that seems tailor-made for the narrative.

Everything about this film says "gentle and tender," from the friendship between the two boys -- what could almost be described as a platonic love story, to the longing the two have for Maria -- the object of affection who is always just out of reach, if only by age and maturity, and even to the father's tentative but loving relationship to his son -- in stark contrast to typical American films where the two would be constantly butting heads.

More than anything, though, there is no doubt that Turgoose and Jagiello carry this film on their young shoulders. Never have two young teens needed each other at this point in their lives as much as Tomo and Marek, and their relationship is so incredibly funny and touching that it had audiences in stitches and had me smiling from ear to ear from start to finish. It's no wonder that Turgoose and Jagiello each received the jury award for Best Actor here at the 2008 Tribeca Film Festival, where "Somers Town" had its North American Premiere. "Somers Town" is a charming and funny gem with a heart of gold.

A Shane Meadows 'comedy'? I wasn't laughing.

[paul-m-uk · 6/10 · 1 November 2008]

Being from Nottingham myself, I sort of feel duty-bound to watch Shane Meadows' films. Usually they don't disappoint. Usually.

The reason I see this film as an attempt at comedy is that I can't really see what else it could be. I can't see any kind of message contained in this film, and the premise of the film frankly borders on the preposterous. Too little about the protagonist's background is divulged for the audience to take him seriously. He is essentially a homeless child on the loose in London, though a seemingly compassionate women he meets with on a train and then later in a café feels no need to report this fact to anyone. What drives the film then is the comic spectacle of the unlikely relationship that develops between young Tomo and a Polish immigrant he meets. Sure, this has its moments, but I don't really think that comedy is Meadows' forte.

The black and white photography is equally irritating. Meadows could have saved himself bother by just popping up at the start of the film and announcing "this is more 'indie' than This is England, you know...". Once he'd got that off his chest then maybe we could have enjoyed the film in colour...

I'm looking for positives here, I really am, but this film is really lacking. It lacks plausibility. It lacks originality (it's relatively similar to This is England). And it lacks run-time: 70 minutes and no discernible 'ending' - you may well feel like heading back to the ticket booth and asking for a refund afterwards.

Not an unmitigated disaster, but watch Shane's other films first.

Hands Across The Waters

[druid333-2 · 9/10 · 8 October 2009]

After seeing Shane Meadows brilliant,but unsettling previous film, 'This Is England',I wondered how is he going to top himself with this one? The answer comes in the form of 'Somers Town',a gritty,grainy black & white film (with colour inserts) with a real "do it yourself" (or,D.I.Y.)look to it, that wears it's heart on it's sleeve. The story concerns two teen aged boys,Tomo (played by Thomas Turgoose,from 'This Is England'),a homeless lad that managed to escape a harrowing home life in the north-Midlands to run wild in the streets of London, and Marek (played by newcomer Piotr Jagiello),a young lad, who is living with his divorced father,Mariusz (played by Ireneusz Czap),both immigrants from Poland living in London. Tomo & Marek meet under some dubious circumstances,with Marek not liking Tomo much at first,but the two forge an uneasy friendship,fall in love with the same woman (a French waitress,Maria,played by Elisa Lasowski),and generally become B.F.F's (best friends forever). Paul Fraser writes a heartfelt screenplay about two opposites that overcome odds to find friendship (Tomo is easily the most unlikely to be able to even have a friend,due to his scrappy nature,while Marek is lonely,due to his father's hard drinking with his co-workers). Natasha Braier's kitchen sink,black & white/colour photography (shot in monochrome HD)gives this film it's character look,and the crisp editing really works to give this film the kudos it deserves. Not rated,but contains some rude language,sexual content & a rather nasty gang beating inflicted on the young Tomo by a street gang

Charming slice of life drama...

[dwpollar · 7/10 · 13 August 2013]

1st watched 8/9/2013 – 7 out of 10(Dir-Shane Meadows): Charming slice of life drama about a couple of young boys in London who don't have much for themselves at the beginning of the movie but find friendship kind of accidentally, which provides for them the support that they both need. One is from Nottingham, named Tomas, who decides to travel to London because there is nothing for him in Nottingham(according to his point of view). The other is a son of a Polish immigrant who is part of a broken family, and basically has nothing to do while his father works in the daytime until Tomas comes on the scene. They both are mischievous and definitely not saints, but their charm is in how they have learned to survive. Tomas uses any means to get by with occasionally stealing food and conniving people, and his newfound friend kind of goes along with him. The Polish son has an infatuation with a French waitress which Tomas meets and also begins the same. Their pursuit of her makes up the rest of the movie, and it isn't an American-type perverted pursuit but rather they figure out ways to win her heart. This is the kind of film that will leave a lasting impression to it's viewers but never make a lot of money. It is about real people with real problems who find real solutions to at least get by. A colorized ending is attached to this otherwise black and white film leaving the viewer wondering if this actually happened or was a dream sequence. What the movie does do is make you believe that pursuing your dreams is a positive thing none-the-less. These are the kind of movies I could watch everyday and wish Hollywood would pursue similar fare(at least once-in-a-while).

A wonderful snapshot to fall in love with

[blackburnj-1 · 9/10 · 8 December 2008]

Shane Meadows' beautiful snapshot of life for two teenagers in North London, "Somers Town", is a million miles away from "This is England" in tone, but has no less class or brilliance about it. Filmed in wonderful black and white, this is a delightful, entertaining and involving piece about youth, culture and friendship.

The power of Meadows's film-making is in his characters. Something rings fundamentally true about the people that he brings to the screen, and the writing of Paul Fraser (a long time Meadows-collaborator) is a great help to this film. The dialogue is humorous, moving and insightful, which gets the audience utterly involved in this film. Added to this, the acting is wonderful. Thomas Turgoose, who was spectacular in "This is England", continues to be an impressive and interesting screen presence. He is ably supported, not just by Piotr Jagiello, who plays the Polish teenager Marek, but by the rest of the small, but perfectly formed, ensemble.

This film is not just an entertaining and moving piece, but is also a beautiful film with a dash of severity. There is a particularly emotive and thought-provoking scene where the immigrant father and son talk to each other. Britain's debates on immigration often ignore the individuals involved in the issues, and that scene cuts right to an unexplored area of the matter.

The beauty of the film is not just in its emotions and characters, but also in its photography. Monochrome is a form of cinematography which lends itself to beauty, but Meadows exploits this magnificently. There is a change to colour during the film which could have been crass but is in fact wonderful. The images are also accompanied by a beautiful series of songs which give the film real character. All of these elements come to fore in a number of dialogue-less sequences.

Meadows has created a lovely piece of cinema. Short though it is, that is part of its charm. It is not extraneous or self-indulgent. It is what it is: a simple joy to be delighted in by many.

Just about the right side of whimsy

[tracy_flick · 6/10 · 12 March 2009]

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/

Lazy Writing

[ILLPIRATA · 3/10 · 8 September 2008]

Somers Town is endless - in the very literal meaning of the word.

The opening minutes of this nicely shot black and white piece, set just north of London's Marylebone Road, are wonderfully atmospheric and you settle into your seat with a sense that you are about to be greatly entertained in some way, such is the deftness of the set-up. The acting is uniformly excellent and you quickly warm to the plight of all the characters. So far so wonderful.

But, as any screenplay-writer or script-reader will tell you, the set-up is easy, it's writing a compelling story that's the tough part. Soon the unanswered questions start piling up. What is the lad from Nottingham running from and why is no one after him? Is the Polish lad's 'Dad' really his Dad (this one gets answered eventually) and why isn't he in some kind of school? And then we get to the point at which the film stops. And stop it does because there is no ENDING. Just when the film seems to be changing up a gear and you are suckered into thinking some questions will be answered or resolved, you are left with a casually shot color sequence that would be poor as a mid-film montage but is an absolute stunner of a let-down as a resolution.

The film-makers obviously worked so hard on this film. The sets, the wardrobe, the cinematography, the casting, the acting, the editing and much of the direction are all notable for their sharp and sensitive choices but whoever thought this casually tossed off last two minutes of color film was an ending or a resolution? With some thought, and some hard choices made over the keyboard over a couple of nights this could have been a truly remarkable film.

What a shame for all concerned.

Small but perfectly formed

[Ali_John_Catterall · 10/10 · 19 August 2008]

As product placements go, it's a doozy: measuring 394 metres long, 2.81 meters wide, attaining top speeds of 207.9mph at 148 feet below sea level. That's right - the shadowy star of Shane Meadows' featurette is a Eurostar train.

Surprisingly, Somers Town was originally conceived as a 12-minute plug to mark the train service's move to St Pancras International station in 2007. "We didn't want an advert," Eurostar's marketing director told 'Variety'. "We were after something cultural." Long-time Meadows collaborator Paul Fraser penned a script, and Meadows started shooting - and shooting, until he eventually presented his bankrollers with a near-feature length film.

Naturally, Meadows' decision to share a sleeper carriage with The Man has proved somewhat controversial, especially among certain frothing film critics looking to make names for themselves. Frankly, if product placements give them such coronaries, for the sake of their own health may they never be allowed anywhere near Sex And The City: The Movie. While heaven forbid they should ever find out that Mike Leigh, Ken Loach - and yes, Shane Meadows - have all made McDonald's ads in the past.

Compared with taking the clown's shilling, the Eurostar hook-up seems more like patronage (in the old-fashioned sense of the word) than branding; Meadows insists they were very hands off - even given a slightly cringey scene in which one character waxes lyrical about those wonderful trains that go under the sea. Most movies are rarely wholly 'independent' anyway, so the ethical issue arising here is in charging cinema prices to view something calling itself a feature film. Well, fine: call it a commercial then. It's a ten-star commercial. And it's bloomin' lovely.

Like most Meadows' pictures this is another grittily poetic coming-of-age tale, set in a depressed location, featuring juvenile bonding and absent or surrogate parent figures. Teen urchin Tomo (Turgoose) flees his Nottingham care home and winds up in Somers Town, the grim, gang-ridden area between Euston and St Pancras. There he meets dreamy introvert Marek (Jagiello), whose separated builder dad Mariusz (Czop), is helping to build the Eurostar terminal. The new friends attempt to win the heart of Maria (Lasowski), a French café waitress whom they both fancy, before she goes back to Paris.

Meanwhile, the homeless (and following a laundry accident, clothes-less) Tomo hides out in Marek's bedroom, gets drunk and is discovered by Mariusz, before being taken in by wheeler-dealer neighbour Graham (Benson, marvellous). At the end, Tomo and Marek visit Maria in Paris (via Eurostar of course), the monochromatic feature finally bursting, Wizard Of Oz-style, into colour.

Narrative-wise it's not exactly There Will Be Blood, but to call Somers Town a stop-gap for Meadows is to insult another beautifully crafted film, as well as a great London film, from the finest British director working today. Somers Town, the kind of movie critics refer to as a "gem", is as charming, funny and authentic as any of his major works; the fact it achieves this in just over an hour and with a corporate backer tousling its hair makes the victory even sweeter.

The ensemble cast is terrific, and share a fantastically real camaraderie (see especially the tender scenes between Jagiello and Czop as the shored-up father and son, missing the wife and mother who walked out on them back home). But as the bruised, Artful Dodger-like Tomo, Turgoose is standout, once again proving why he's Meadows' best acting find since Paddy Considine, whether turning on the chimpy charm ("I'm actually a painter myself," he tells Maria. "I do bottles, wine glasses, flowers... women, sometimes"), or showing off his natural comic chops; even during a scene in which he's discovered sitting naked on the edge of a bathtub with photos of Maria in his hand, furiously doing with the other what comes naturally to 16-year-olds. Had this been executed by Larry Clark from a screenplay by Harmony Korine, you'd know what to expect. This being a Shane Meadows film, however, it's just another uproarious, naturalistic scene from teenage life.

Likewise, a scene in which Graham the fence tells Tomo that in order to bunk down at his he'll have to do everything he tells him to. "What, in a sexual way?" enquires Tomo. "No, not in a sexual way," scoffs an exasperated Graham. Despite Graham's kinky novelty apron, or habit of keeping fivers down the front of his posing pouch, there are no genuine monsters in Somers Town. As the young squires ferry Maria home in a customised wheelchair, that sudden flicker of unease on her face abates just as quickly; they mean her no harm.

That's not to say there isn't darkness here. Tomo gets a kicking from the local lads, Marek and his father's situation isn't the best, obviously - and it's even debatable whether the boys' climactic Eurostar journey ever actually happens outside of their own heads, such is the air of fantasy about it. (There is clearly something of the surrogate mother about Maria, for both boys. While her very name, evoking the Virgin, further underpins the near-religiosity of the ending. Incidentally, the name of the ad agency which commissioned the film is 'Mother'.)

Yet always there is hope, a breezy optimism undercutting the melancholy. Tomo's transparent self-loathing ("It don't matter who I am... a useless waste of space") may be heartbreaking, but it only makes his salvation - through friendship, through platonic love - all the more joyous. As Meadows' mate Gavin Clarke, whose folksy, bittersweet songs perfectly compliment the visuals, sings, "There's a vein of pure gold in the stone".

A Little Gem

[featherstone-758-470869 · 8/10 · 2 May 2011]

Short, compact, yet rich with satisfaction: this film encompassing some beautiful moments to take with you and treasure. Shot in black & white, this film scores for being simple, yet moving, deep and unique.

In a world of blockbusters and 2 hour feature films, this short, simple indie film came as a welcome relief. It was 'bite-sized' if you can attribute that phrase. In other words digestible: it had a pleasantly warming message of friendship and the beauty of human emotions. Therefore perfect to consume on a quiet sunny afternoon.

By not being too long, this film does not loose out in being concise, it feels like every short scene is of real value to the story. This creates a pleasant pace and means the audience is kept enticed and captivated. Interwoven in this storyline and despite its brief nature, Meadows is still able to weave in thought-provoking shots and sequences to really underline the nature of social study.

Overall it is indeed a little gem, not to be left to gather dust on the shelf. Its one of those movies you could watch on a typical afternoon in the house to give you a satisfying feeling of wholeness.

Very impressive: 83/100

Delightful

[agmoldham · 8/10 · 3 September 2008]

I have to confess that I love all of the films made by Shane Meadows. In some ways Somers Town is a bit of a departure for Meadows as it is nowhere near as gritty as some of his previous work. Having said that there are still a couple of scenes that will get you squirming uncomfortably.

The film is an insight into the unlikely friendship between Tomo and Merek. The two leads put in great performances considering their age and Turgoose looks a sure fire bet to be a leading actor for a long time to come. The performance of Perry Benson as Graham is also fantastic and all the characters in the film are very true to life.

The film is in black and white apart from the last couple of minutes and at 75 minutes is extremely short for a feature. At times very funny it is certainly poignant and thoroughly enjoyable. If you miss it at the cinema make sure you catch it when it's on the small screen. It certainly will not lose too much in the transition.

Pointlessly Arty

[anastasia-baranova · 3/10 · 13 May 2013]

I have given this film a 3/10 because I still think it is worth watching, if only as a poor comparable to true Indie cinema. Unfortunately it is films like this which give "arty" movies a bad name due to their lack of plot, strange juxtaposition-ed music and quirky situations. There are many moments in the film which made me truly cringe...like the dreamy wheelchair sequence and the strange cross dressing. Of course if done properly in another film, these could have both been very thought provoking moments, symbolising our society overcoming the fear of minority groups blah blah blah. However the symbolism simply wasn't there in this film. The only aspect which I found truly enjoyable was the father character, whose acting was truly sensational. I believed every word he said and his struggle was obvious even when he had no lines to say. All in all, I would say that this is a good film to watch if you are 14 years old and just starting out on your journey of discovering alternative cinema. It is a very gentle and naive attempt at something more profound.

Not the brilliant piece some would have you believe but a perfectly fine little film with a simple agenda

[bob the moo · 1 March 2009]

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.

Another awesome film from Shane Meadows

[Rorynation · 9/10 · 7 September 2008]

After one day picking up 'Dead Man's Shoes' and enjoying it very much, I was instantly interested in Shane Meadows other work. The release of Somers Town was no exception. I watched it in Nottingham which is where one of the main character's home is said to be in the film which added a certain local feel to it.

Anyway, shot in black and white this film is about two lads who eventually become good friends. The black and white film certainly suited the overall feel of the film and the location. The acting of the characters seemed very natural, and Thomas one again puts in a good performance. The film has various comedy elements to it, and one of the characters in particular who appears to be a market trader is one to watch out for! I couldn't help but notice the film has a naive child like feeling about it but that is hardly surprising considering the two main actors are 15.

This is an excellent film and is definitely worth seeing!

Wonderfully artistic with a soft spot for reality

[Stampsfightclub · 8/10 · 25 March 2009]

Tomo (Turgoose) moves from Nottingham to London in the hope of a new start and befriends Marek (Jagiello), a Polish immigrant who has a crush on Maria (Lasowski) After viewing Shane Meadows impressive drama This is England this 2008 drama sounded very appealing and I am glad to say the same level of drama and sophistication is as present as it was in 2006 and with the same level of issues and entertainment present, this makes engaging viewing, if not as passionate as his previous release.

One of the main reasons Somers Town isn't as strong as the Bafta winner is Thomas Turgoose's protagonist Tomo. Turgoose was exceptionally strong in This is England, bringing that level of vulnerability to a bullied school boy and yet expressing his enjoyment through his actions. Here we see him as an over eager selfish teenager looking to start afresh with new friends. When looking at modern day stereotypes in British cinema you may recall the gangster figure in Kidulthood or the dreamer in My Summer of Love. Here we see almost a mix between the two. Tomo isn't afraid to say what he feels and do what he wants. His language is appalling, his expectancy of everyone comes too easily and he is so irritating the stop button on your remote control will be exceptionally tempting. Turgoose does well to portray the stereotype but all things considered the character is something else in modern society. A dramatic instalment is Tomo but the character development and the way it is handled in the latter part is appreciative and almost heart warming, with a few twists thrown in.

Piotr Jagiello is very impressive as Polish immigrant Marek. Quiet, unassertive and desperate we feel his situation with his father and can take comfort from his desperation for a normal life. Elisa Lasowski is included briefly but makes a startling impression in this dramatic tale of friendship.

Tackling ideologies of friendship and family this film delivers in a way only British cinema can, by taking the issue from its very core and spinning it on a realistic portrayal. Having the film set in black and white makes these concepts feel that extra dramatic and therefore more powerful.

Meadows' direction is tackled very delicately with some artistic soft shots thrown in to appreciate the story in context, including a wonderful montage in the closing stages. The relaxing score further engrosses viewers into the sentimental story.

Whereas this isn't as strong as Meadows' other film, Somers Town takes comfort from a passionate collection of protagonists and thrives on the drama of real life.

Oh sweetness...

[bodegamedia · 8/10 · 19 September 2010]

From Brit director Shane Meadows, probably one of the most exciting directors working right now. His two previous films Dead Man's Shoes and This is England have showcased his progression from solid director to where he is now, knocking on the door to world class. He hasn't yet had the script or the budget to send him into the mainstream and only time will tell whether he chooses to go in that direction or not. He might instead continue to put out his own auteured projects which are fast attracting a cult all of their own. Somers Town arrived via Film Movement, a cool little label that only puts out one film per month. Quite quickly the reason Somers Town has arrived with so little fanfare becomes clear. It's the opposite of epic, a tiny but totally charming little film with the budget of a picnic, but that doesn't detract in any way. It's the story of teenagers Tomo and Marek and their unlikely friendship in London. Both away from home, their friendship grows as does their infatuation with a local French waitress. The plot wanders and cul-de-sacs all over the map, revealing more about the perspectives of the kids themselves. The film has a fierce stench of nostalgia to it and captures the naivety and awkwardness of the teen years. It's not of a pace or film language accepted by the popcorn crowd, but for those with an open mind it's a pretty simple pleasure.

75 Minute Eurostar Ad

[geckokid · 3/10 · 21 March 2009]

I really felt cheated by this film. I had of course heard about the fact that Eurostar had entirely funded the project, but I had also read several reviews that stated that blatant sloganeering for the company was kept to a minimum and didn't overly distract from the narrative of the film. I'm afraid I completely disagree. Although I enjoyed many elements of the story (the gentle humour and refreshingly low-key character development), the film culminates in what amounts to a blatant product endorsement for Eurostar, complete with characters waving their freshly purchased train tickets in front of the camera and a picture postcard visit to the Eiffel Tower, which you could imagine running, looped rotation-style, on a screen embedded in the back of a Eurostar recliner.

This obviously funding influenced choice in direction was doubly troubling. Firstly because it reduced the entire film to little more than a pathos-filled commercial and secondly because it betrayed the narrative of the film, substituting a ludicrously jubilant and quite improbable ending (two boys of that age and economic bracket permitted to go off on a little jaunt to Paris together? where did they get the funds? how did they find Maria? how is Tomo living and supporting himself?) in what had been to that point an enjoyable exercise in social realism.

In short, yes, a film funded in this way obviously does have an impact on the artistic decisions taken by the director. Can we really call this independent cinema? I felt duped and I'm surprised other viewers don't seem to have felt the same way.

A Beautiful Story of an Unlikely Friendship

[MrLucasWarHero · 8/10 · 8 August 2019]

Strikingly breathtaking cinematography paired with a gorgeous realism that Shane Meadows has a brilliant knack for. A lovely excerpt of the lives of others showing how complex and wonderful this world can be.

A new world is born for two lonely teenagers

[howard.schumann · 10/10 · 20 December 2009]

Anais Nin said, "Each friend represents a world in us, a world possibly not born until they arrive, and it is only by this meeting that a new world is born." A new world is indeed born for two lonely teenagers in Shane Meadows' Somers Town, a spirited 70-minute exploration of the bonds that can arise out of mutual need. Originally intended as a 20-minute promo by railway line Eurostar to publicize their high-speed London to Paris train, the film contains references to high-speed trains but is in no sense an advertisement for anything except good film-making. Written by frequent Meadows collaborator Paul Fraser and shot in high contrast black and white, the film stars Thomas Turgoose, the twelve-year-old Skinhead in This is England as Tomo, a runaway orphan from Nottingham.

Tomo comes to London to find something better in life but is beaten and robbed of his money and belongings on his first night away from home. He soon meets Marek (Piotr Jagiello), an introverted Polish teen who lives with his father in one of the flats in Somers Town, a working class area in Northern London. Somers Town is named after the Somers family who owned the land and can boast of such former residents as Charles Dickens, Arthur Rimbaud, and Paul Verlaine. Marek warily agrees to let Tomo stay with him but they are both fearful of being discovered by Marek's father (Ireneusz Czop), a Polish immigrant, who is often known to come home drunk. Shot in and around Phoenix Court, a low rise council property in Purchese Street, their friendship grows as they are put to work by a scheming neighbor Graham (Perry Benson) stacking and sanding lawn chairs.

Soon they are pulling off dicey capers, and competing for the affection of Maria (Elisa Lasowski), a lovely French waitress in a local café. One of the film's high points is when the two boys find an abandoned wheelchair and give Maria a ride home, a gesture that prompts her to plant a kiss on each boy's cheek, telling them that she loves them equally. Tomo likes to talk tough but his vulnerability shows through his poses and we can see that underneath there is a good person struggling to emerge. Marek is a photographer who has a gentleness about him and the two personalities seem to complement each other. Supported by an outstanding acoustic soundtrack of songs by Gavin Clarke and Ted Barnes, Meadows captures the grittiness of blue-collar existence but balances it with a light touch that makes the film a thorough delight.

One of the funniest sequences is when the two steal a bag of clothes from the Laundromat that turn out to be mostly women's garments which Tomo is forced to wear simply because he doesn't have anything else. When Maria decides to return home to Paris without saying goodbye, the boys plan a train trip to find her and, in a color montage that may be real or imagined, the film explodes into unexpected lyricism. Meadows latest film may not have the clout of Dead Man's Shoes (2004) or This is England (2006) but to call it insubstantial just because it is short is to do it a grave injustice. Somers Town is so natural and the character's growing pains so poignant that you will have a hard time ever getting it out of your head.