London to Brighton

PëRMBLEDHJE

Powerful, harrowing and gripping, Paul Andrew Williams's feature debut is a brutally raw thriller. Reminiscent of Mike Leigh's Naked in its restless intensity and kitchen-sink grimness, this assured crime drama finds prostitute Lorraine Stanley ordered by her pimp (Johnny Harris) to procure underage, homeless and desperate Georgia Groome for a millionaire gangster. The depraved assignation ends in the client's death and his son wants revenge on the unlikely duo, who flee for their lives (making the journey of the title), with Harris in hot pursuit. What follows is a suspenseful build to a surprise twist, shot through with the seediest of atmospheres. The performances are frighteningly realistic, but it's the core relationship between Stanley and Groome that anchors the debased humanity with emotional heart. Pulling no punches visually or verbally, it's an upsetting watch. But it's also exhilarating because it dares to venture beyond the usual content of the British gangster movie into more thought-provoking and psychologically layered areas.