Somers Town

OPIS

Director Shane Meadows follows up his Bafta-winning This Is England with this informal sequel, once again presenting a snapshot of English society and featuring Thomas Turgoose, the untrained young actor from the previous film. It's a black comedy drama set in the multicultural area of London close to King's Cross that gives the film its name. Turgoose stars as Tommo, who arrives from Nottingham with dreams of making a better life, but is met instead by a welcoming committee who relieve him of his beer, bag and cash. He crosses paths with a young Polish lad Marek (Piotr Jagiello) and the pair become friends, earning money from a series of increasingly eccentric schemes dreamt up by a neighbour. Along the way they befriend French waitress Maria (Elisa Lasowski), who becomes an object of affection for both boys. And that's about it. It's an easy film to like, buoyed by a relaxed sense of humour and an amiable ensemble of characters. However, the brief running time does make this feel a little insubstantial after the bleak power of its predecessor.