Although 'Strangeways
Here We Come' shares a title with the final, bold, album by The Smiths, this
film has no connection to the 1980s indie band (except for the use of the
Salford Lads Club building in one shot). This film is a comedy-drama set
amongst the high rises near the Salford Precinct around Pendleton. 'Strangeways Here We Come' looks at the
lives of several residents in the high rises and the people around them, showing
us the funny side of life in Salford as well as the more dangerous part, as the
spectre of Strangeways prison (nowadays known simply as ‘HMP Manchester'), looms
large. There’s an unfortunate postman whom never seems to be able to catch a
break, former boxer Brian (James Foster) whose career was ended by a stroke,
single mother Jean (Ania Swoinski) whose teenage son Ollie loves to act like a
‘gangsta’ with his ball-bearing gun, university friends Demi (Michelle Keegan),
Sian (Saffron Hocking), and Becki (Chanel Cresswell), Walter White wannabe
Marvin (Perry Fitzpatrick), convinced he can cook up a killer batch of crystal
meth to sell, and his girlfriend Shelly (Lauren Socha), Aaron (Oliver
Coopersmith) who spends the opening part of the film dressed as a superhero
after doing a deal with God so his dying mother could have one more day, taxi
driver and pill-pusher Max (Mark Sheals), and window-cleaner and sexually needy
Lucy (Nina Wadia).
The film’s mix of comedy and drama, as well as its working-class
milieu, recalled the early film work of Shane Meadows (especially 'A Room For Romeo Brass'), and
writer-director Chris Green has scripted and overseen the final product with
considerable skill. The film’s plot revolves around the residents coming
together to deal with local loan shark and all-round bully Danny Nolan (Stephen
Lord). When he torments several residents, they turn the tables on him and soon
they face the prospect of a life without Nolan harassing them but having to
keep a secret about what is buried under a patch of grass in the estate’s
communal garden (aside from the residents’ dead pets, that is). When Nolan’s
wife (Elaine Cassidy) appears on the scene to find out what has happened to her
husband, friendships are strained, and misunderstandings ensue.
All the performances
are brilliant, with Keegan’s studious, quiet Demi being a world away from the
performances she gave in 'Coronation
Street' and 'Our Girl' and Hoxking
and Cresswell give believable performances as her friends, both demonstrating
superb comic touches. Swoinski brings
a real sense of pathos as Jean and Foster’s weather-beaten face perfectly
encapsulates the sense of resignation which Brian has, as he continues to
adjust to his life after his stroke. As Aaron, Coopersmith has a suitable air
of naivety about him, although he is far from innocent as Lucy is thrilled to
find out after his party to celebrate his final day of wearing his superhero
costume. The funniest performance, however, comes from Sheals who gets all the
best lines and has an incredibly expressive face. On the other side of the
scale, Lord is terrifying and unsettling as Nolan – his piercing stare bringing
forth a real sense that Nolan is liable to fly off the handle in a fit of rage
at any given moment. Likewise, Cassidy is intensely stern in her initial
appearance and there is the very real sense that Nolan’s wife is worse than the
man himself was.
The film straddles the line between portraying a gritty
slice of life in Salford and some often-absurdist comedic moments, especially
when Marvin’s home-cooked crystal meth turns out to have an aphrodisiac effect.
If one scene were to sum-up the film, it would have to be the scene following
the residents getting their revenge on Nolan. As they sit there, coming to
terms with what they’ve done, Aaron brings in a tray with tea and biscuits on.
It’s a black comedic moment but one that is emblematic of the film, indeed
life itself for many people who live similar lives to those of the film’s
protagonists: the mix of the mundane with the extraordinary. If there is one
part where the film misjudges its juggling of tones, then it is during the
section where Nolan’s wife goes from being a sinister presence searching for
her husband and to a horny, almost zombie-like, figure courtesy of Marvin’s
meth – in amongst the growing tension of whether our avenged residents will get
away with what they have done, the cutting back to what is, essentially,
something from a sex comedy does feel somewhat jarring.
Aside from that one element, and a purely personally
subjective criticism at that, 'Strangeways
Here We Come' is a solidly made, consistently hilarious film which deserves
support on its limited cinema release and is a reminder of the passion and
energy that independent cinema has, and tells a story with true Northern heart
and soul.
Reviewer - Andrew Marsden
on - 26/9/18
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