On seeing the IMDb rating I have to say I was a little confused. This is by no means a 5 star (IMDb rating) film. Ok so maybe it's not an 8 per se either but definitely not as low as 5. Then on reading the reviews I got a bit more of a picture on why the scores were maybe so low. I think it's because I have not seen the trailer. I went into this completely blind (other than dystopian near future and Kano) and enjoyed it immensely.
This isn't the urban dystopian thriller that maybe some expected. Instead it does what all good sci-fi does. Uses it's future setting as a platform to comment on some contemporary issues. The issues here being dispossession, disenfranchisement, capitalism, social disparity, gentrification and what all these things do to the people who live in poorer areas.
The story is a quiet one about a boy who loses his mother and is set adrift in the world. A world here which doesn't seem to have the social or community parachute that a boy in this situation needs. This is obviously a world that mirrors exactly where our own is going. Social support structures giving way to corporate greed and corporate needs. It's also a story about what this sort of environment does to men who grow up in these poorer environments.
It may be a bit slow paced and mediative for some people but I found that the pace let the story breathe. There's time to get to know the characters and their motivations. It's believable world building (of a future we're almost at) on an obvious low budget is commendable. Ably directed and phographed. And the acting from all involved is excellent, especially Kano and young Bannerman.
All in all I found it an enjoyable watch with a pertinent message about where continued capitalist growth will lead to greater disparity, and thus hostility, in our world. While also delivering a quiet and powerful story of a boy trying to find some connection in the world.
This isn't the urban dystopian thriller that maybe some expected. Instead it does what all good sci-fi does. Uses it's future setting as a platform to comment on some contemporary issues. The issues here being dispossession, disenfranchisement, capitalism, social disparity, gentrification and what all these things do to the people who live in poorer areas.
The story is a quiet one about a boy who loses his mother and is set adrift in the world. A world here which doesn't seem to have the social or community parachute that a boy in this situation needs. This is obviously a world that mirrors exactly where our own is going. Social support structures giving way to corporate greed and corporate needs. It's also a story about what this sort of environment does to men who grow up in these poorer environments.
It may be a bit slow paced and mediative for some people but I found that the pace let the story breathe. There's time to get to know the characters and their motivations. It's believable world building (of a future we're almost at) on an obvious low budget is commendable. Ably directed and phographed. And the acting from all involved is excellent, especially Kano and young Bannerman.
All in all I found it an enjoyable watch with a pertinent message about where continued capitalist growth will lead to greater disparity, and thus hostility, in our world. While also delivering a quiet and powerful story of a boy trying to find some connection in the world.