Anastasia Baranova 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.

paul2001sw-1 Shane Meadows is an under-acknowledged genius, and in this short film about the friendship between two boys, lippy Tomo and drippy Marek, all of his strengths are on view (in spite of its brevity): the ability to coach brilliant performances out of largely unproven casts, hilarious yet real dialogue, simple but atmospheric cinematography and an excellent soundtrack provided by his long-term friend and collaborator Gavin Clark. It's true, that not a lot happens, but it's an utterly moving paean to the virtues of simple companionship in a lonely world. The setting near Kings Cross reminded me of Mike Leigh's 'High Hopes', another film whose strength is its affection for its characters; 'Somers Town' is a slighter film, but a perfectly realised one.

druid333-2 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

Ali-71 A completely different film to his recent offerings, but shares the cinematic beauty that the director has brought to his other features. The story which has an intentionally light treatment, is charming, and brilliantly acted. I didn't go to see this in the cinema as I thought it wouldn't make much difference watching on DVD, but regretted it as there are some beautiful scenes and sequences that would be awesome on the big screen. Characteristic of his films there is accompanying music that I in my ignorance have never heard before but which fits the scenes perfectly. Some of those scenes are almost collages of wonderful photos of the area that the film is set in. As a huge Shane Meadows fan, this doesn't hit you as hard as his recent successes, but it doesn't aim to - it does though leave you with a satisfying hit of his brilliance until the next time.