Leofwine_draca TREACLE JR. is an odd little independent film, filmed on the cheap in London and with an on-the-street vibe. It's a character study of two men, the principle of whom remains a mystery from beginning to end: he's a family man who one day abandons his family, flees to London, and ends up sleeping rough on the streets. He's clearly having some kind of mid life crisis, but that's about all we ever find out.The main emphasis of the film is on Aidan Gillen, who has gone on to receive fame and recognition for his role as Littlefinger in GAME OF THRONES. Gillen plays a character called Aidan (yeah, I know) who is about as far from Littlefinger as you can get: he's a man with the mind of a child, delightfully uninhibited, and taking a natural joy in the world and in his surroundings. Gillen's character is loud, brash, and invariably annoying, but nonetheless it's an acting tour-de-force and he never fails to convince in his part.The rest of the film is a mixed bag. It's plodding in places although the running time is very short. Some of it feels repetitive too. I found the main character a little annoying in the way he acts sometimes, although it's fair to say that Gillen makes the movie. There's some high drama when a third character, played by Riann Steele, gets involved in the story, which is all very good. In the end, TREACLE JR. is a slight piece of filmmaking, one which is well shot and made by people with talent, but it never lifted me the way something comparable like ADAM & PAUL lifted me.

Ian Hunter Okay, I watched this late the other night not expecting much but sometimes these low budget films deliver and I was so glad I watched it.Firstly Aidan Gillen (Game of Thrones) absolutely steals this film, his delivery of his character is acting gold! His character (again called Aiden) is one of life's lovable downtrodden people who refuse to give in and feel sorry for themselves, no matter what. Aiden sees the good in everyone and continually smiles at the daily difficulties that's thrown at him and you'll immediately warm to him, this is the immense power of his incredible acting abilities. The film shows Tom who has left his life behind cross paths with Aiden and how they sort of 'mend' each other.If you love a film that doesn't conform to the usual stories or just want a masterclass in character acting then this film is a total joy.Loved loved loved this little treasure.

mark-whait Treacle Jr is an astounding film from writer / director Jamie Thraves. It tells the story of upstanding family man Tom (Tom Fisher) who walks out on his wife and young child in Birmingham and takes a train to London to begin a new life. It's an interesting exploration of what makes a person finally break - Tom can't handle the rat race anymore and walks away in a kind of neurotic trance. He's bordering on a breakdown. Once in London, he reflects on religion and tries to find answers to reconcile his actions. But most of the time he just wants peace and mental shelter from the life he has left behind. After an unfortunate incident in a park, Tom finds himself in A&E where he is befriended by Aidan (Aidan Gillen), a mentally backward Irishman who nevertheless is a sheer force of nature by his personality. He talks constantly, cannot sit still and seems to enjoy every minute of his life, even if he is being beaten up by foreign cafe owners or being punched and sworn at by Linda (Riann Steele) with whom he shares a flat. As the two men forge an unlikely friendship, their chemistry blossoms and rarely does a movie so effectively bond a partnership like this one. We've probably all been approached by the strange-man-at-the-bus-stop character like Aidan - a bit backward, machine gun chatty and irritably jolly, and, like Tom, we've probably all backed away and tried to shake them off. But we learn to see behind the obvious external barriers and Gillen's performance is utterly astonishing. Riotously funny and heartbreakingly naive in turns, its what pins the whole movie together, and the acute observations by Thraves of innocent people with their own personal problems getting swallowed up and spat out by a cold, cruel, vicious and callous world is riveting. Fisher plays his part with expert subtlety, and the strength of the script and direction is also apparent with Riann Steele's Linda - a street wise whore who mercilessly exploits Aidan's personality, there is more than a hint of the troubles she too has faced in life, to go some way to explaining the person she has become. The central theme around the three main characters is that circumstances dictate people's lives and shape them, and this is a masterly crafted piece of motion picture gold. Funny, warm and feelgood mixed with hard hitting, terrifying drama, Treacle Jr is highly recommended, with Gillen at the centre of three towering lead performances.

franglaisreview This is a top UK independent film which really shows what the genre is capable of. Quality performances and an excellent script make Treacle Jr.one of the most memorable and interesting films I've seen for a good while. Its characters are good as on fire, there is an energy on the screen that leaves a knot in your stomach, an engaging sincerity that is neither overdone nor leadened over by any sort of hipster-esque apathy. This is what independent film in the UK is capable of doing, and what it should be doing. It can be proud of this kind of talent and I hope it will reflect this in its support of UK cinema in all its diversity.