Director: David Mackenzie.
Starring: Jack O’Connell, Rupert Friend, Ben Mendelsohn, Sam Spruell, David Ajala.
Running Time: 106 minutes.
Certificate: 18.
Synopsis: A troubled and explosively violent teenager is transferred to an adult prison where he finally meets his match – a man who also happens to be his father.
Director David Mackenzie pairs up with first-time writer Jonathan Asser to transmit the story of Eric (Jack O’Connell), who is transferred to an adult prison where his father resides. Upon arriving, family tensions rise as Eric finds solace in a support group led by Oliver (Rupert Friend).
Watching STARRED UP is akin to being smacked in the face, spat at, sworn at and being generally treated unpleasantly. Asser’s script is brutal in its depiction of prisoners and doesn’t shirk any of the subsequent responsibilities as we are welcomed into a world of drug deals, sodomy and violence. Encased at the centre of the story is O’Connell’s Eric, a character at once deemed despicable, but strangely heartening as his troubles make us sympathise with, but never truly like him – this juxtaposition helping to put you in his position, creating a tense, nervous air.
Mackenzie’s direction relies heavily on hand-held work as he takes us inside the cells during violent outbreaks, and lovely tracking shots which again place us dead-centre in the action. Performances are universally excellent with O’Connell shining brightest and Friend’s sympathetic but questionable volunteer a close second, the pair’s interactions crackling with tension. Aussie Ben Mendelsohn again proves himself a tremendous, under-playing talent as Eric’s father Neville, and the distrustful Governor Hayes is played with gusto by Sam Spruell.
STARRED UP is a rarity in that it takes a story you think you’ve seen plenty of times before and tweaks it just enough to have you gripping the arms of your chair. Helped along by great performances, sterling direction and a cracking script the film is a delightfully dark tale, with the only weakness a rather formulaic last five minutes, but these do little to ruin the previous 101.
STARRED UP is showing in Official Competition on Thursday 10th (8:30pm), Friday 11th (12:30pm) and Saturday 12th October (6:30pm). Check out the rest of our coverage from LFF here.
