Looted review: Stealing cars and making James Blunt jokes are just two of the ingredients on the menu in this stunning social realism drama from debuting feature director Rene Pannevis, a film getting its world premiere under the glittering lights of the Black Nights Film Festival.
Image provided by Looted Film Limited
Set in the northern coastal town of Hartlepool in the sun-drenched height of summer, Looted focusses on a small group of twenty-something adults who congregate on the streets earning small chunks of change from petty crimes, including jacking cars to be sold on by dodgy local dealers. Central is Rob (Charley Palmer Rothwell), a 21-year-old who spends his days hanging around with lifelong friend Leo (Thomas Turgoose) and his new girlfriend Kasia (Morgane Polanski). Rob, however, has a second, very different life to his one living frivolously on the streets with his friends – his life at home with his terminally ill father Oswald (Tom Fisher). Oswald is bedridden, his lungs deteriorating from an illness caused by being exposed to asbestos in his previous job, constantly relying on an oxygen tank to stabilise him and Rob preparing every meal, washing him and making sure he makes his hospital appointments to have his lungs drained periodically.
A claim against his former bosses has been constantly denied, though Rob harbours the truth from his dying father who hangs onto the hope of a big payout. Rob tells his father that he’s pursuing work and having interviews, yet another lie as the youngster continues to break the law. An offer comes in for a large payday that might just also see some kind of revenge unleashed on his father’s employers at the same time, and Rob is torn between carrying out the big job with Leo and staying at home to ensure his father makes an important health appointment the following morning. There’s also the matter of Kasia becoming closer to both father and son after a chance meeting. What follows is a wonderfully crafted film cemented in reality, one of the true highlights of this celebrated festival.
As with similarly themed piece This Is England, also starring Turgoose, the film is made with true authenticity and realism from the off – Aadel Nodeh-Farahani’s handheld cinematography one of the many reasons for this. His starkly-coloured interiors are balanced with rich, bright, sun-drenched vistas of the north-eastern English coast and a pleasure to take in.
There’s a wonderful script from director Pannevis and Kefi Chadwick but the actors have seemingly been given the opportunity to have their own input as the words flow freely and naturally as if a lot the dialogue was improvised. The actors themselves are exceptional with particular standouts being the performance of Charley Palmer Rothwell as Rob; clearly one of his country’s biggest rising stars. Despite an already solid early career with roles in the likes of Legend and Darkest Hour, this is the best we’ve seen him. Then there’s Tom Fisher (recently seen in Netflix’s The King) truly exceptional as the bedridden Oswald, a character who barely moves in the whole film, Fisher having to act largely with just his face – his performance is both jaw-dropping and heartbreaking.
Looted is a moving, very well made first feature from Pannevis and his team. All the moving parts fit into place – from the screenplay, all of the way through to the production and set design to the skilled editing and sound, including a particularly wonderful score by Tony Coote.
A brilliantly told crime thriller and absorbing character piece, both intense and at a times, massively moving.
Looted was reviewed at POFF 2019.
