I’ve yet to see the Ken Loach-like portrait that was supposed to have a “short” lifespan, so I’m thankful that Film Movement have once again grabbed an audience pleaser that the IFC folks haven’t yet gobbled up. The anecdote that follows the film is: that Shane Meadows never intended to blow up this b&w, shot in 10 days Somers Town into a feature film, but experiment with a 26 page story-line panned out into something that had a decent festival life and collected accolades making it two-for-two after This is England (read our interview with Meadows on that picture). Expect an upcoming July release for the picture.
Two teenagers, both newcomers to London, forge an unlikely friendship over the course of a hot summer. Tomo (Thomas Turgoose) is a runaway from Nottingham; Marek (Piotr Jagiello), a Polish immigrant, lives in the district of Somers Town, between King’s Cross and Euston stations, where his dad is working on a new rail link. When Marek agrees to let homeless Tomo move into his room, unbeknownst to his father, the pair forms a strong bond, as they work odd jobs for an eccentric neighbor and compete for the attention of Maria, a beautiful young French waitress whom they are both infatuated with. But it’s only a matter of time before Marek’s dad discovers what’s going on…
