I didn’t really connect with this movie. I’m not here to bash it—it’s based on a man’s autobiography about surviving a childhood of abuse and deprivation, and the author also co-wrote the screenplay. Far be it for me to argue with how he tells his story. As a film, though, I had a hard time with it.
Kevin Lewis grows up on a South London council estate with an abusive mother and an alcoholic father. He’s bounced around the system, in and out of different homes and repeatedly returned to his mother. The film follows him from childhood, through his teenage years, into young adulthood. Throughout a lot of upheaval, one of the few constants in his life is his search for someone who can finally just give him a break.
This is a very heavy film—understandably so, given the subject matter. Kevin’s life is bleak. He spends much of his childhood and teen years in pure survival mode, constantly in a fight response that has numerous foster parents deciding he’s not worth the trouble. As a young adult, he craves affection and understanding, going more into a fawn response: always accommodating, always apologizing, always wanting to please. Most people he encounters either actively make his life worse or simply don’t care what happens to him. Whenever he finally finds someone good, they’re quickly taken away.
The unrelenting nature of it makes the film difficult for me to watch. Anything good or hopeful is snatched away almost as soon as it begins. Again, it’s nonfiction, so it’s not for me to argue with how the narrative is structured. But specifically as a film, the vast majority of the story reminds me of something like Tess of the D’Urbervilles, which just never gives the protagonist a moment’s peace. With stories like that, I find I can often appreciate them only on a technical level, acknowledging the craft without really connecting with the piece.
Tons of familiar faces in this one. Natascha McElhone, who I’ve seen in lots of things but will always remember best for The Truman Show, is positively vile as Kevin’s mother. Con O’Neill (Izzy!) plays Kevin’s dad. For some of the people who are brief positive forces in Kevin’s life, we’ve got the always-reliable Tom Burke as a social worker, Ioan Gruffudd as a teacher, and Bernard Hill (“Where was Gondor when the Westfold fell?”) as a group home leader. The film also features Denise Gough a.k.a. Dedra Meero from Andor.
As for Jodie Whittaker, she plays Jackie, a woman that Kevin falls for as an adult. She’s friendly and kind, but she finds herself increasingly frustrated with Kevin. Because his abuse and struggles are such a source of shame for him, he doesn’t want to talk about it (understandably so!), but because that’s been such a massive component of his life, it means there’s very little he can tell her about himself.
At first, Jackie is fairly sensitive to this. When she asks Kevin about his family on their first date, he kind of shuts down, and she quickly changes the subject, asking instead about his goals and ambitions. But as time goes on, Jackie knows he’s constantly boxing her out but doesn’t know why. “No matter how I try, he always closes up,” she laments to one of her friends.
Whittaker does well with it, although it’s not a very challenging role. Jackie is another potentially good thing in Kevin’s life that he’s afraid he’s going to lose, and everything about her character is in reaction to him.
Accent Watch
London.
Recommend?
In General – It wasn’t for me, but that doesn’t mean it’s a bad film. If you’re not put off by the brutal subject matter and bleak tone, you might appreciate it.
Jodie Whittaker – Not necessarily. It’s not a huge role, and there’s not too much for Whittaker to do with it.
Warnings
Strong thematic elements (including child abuse and neglect,) violence, drinking/smoking/drug use, sexual content, and language.
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