London to Brighton
Encyclopedia
London to Brighton is a 2006 award-winning British film. The film was written and directed by Paul Andrew Williams
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toilet. Joanne is crying and Kelly has a black eye. Eventually Kelly gets them on a train to Brighton
, and it is clear they are running from someone.
Joanne is an eleven-year-old runaway
who is procured by a reluctant Kelly into having sex with an old violent mobster with a taste for underage girls
. Kelly's pimp
, Derek, bullies her into complying, but it all goes horribly wrong, and the old mobster is killed, presumably by one of the girls. The older man's son, Stuart, then forces Derek to find the girls. The film follows the duo's flight from London in the wake of what has happened.
Arriving initially in Brighton, Kelly visits her friend Karen and tries to earn enough money through prostituting herself to help Joanne afford the train to Devon
, where the child's grandmother lives. The two are eventually tracked down by her pimp and his associate and taken to meet Stuart at a secluded field. Upon arrival, Kelly's pimp and associate are made to dig two graves, presumably for the girls. However, Stuart decides that the girls are the victims in this episode and decides instead to kill Kelly's pimp and associate. The film ends with Kelly and Joanne arriving at Joanne's grandma's house in Devon. Kelly watches from a distance as the girl and the grandmother hug, then turns away.
, called it "The best British film of the century," while The Guardian
dubbed it "the best British film of the year."
In July 2008, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes
reported that 69% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 22 reviews. Metacritic
reported the film had an average score of 55 out of 100, based on 7 reviews.
Paul Andrew Williams
Paul Andrew Williams is a British film writer and director, born in Portsmouth, England in 1973. He won the New Director's Award for his film London to Brighton in the 2006 Edinburgh International Film Festival.-Career:...
.
Plot
The film opens with a woman and child, Kelly and Joanne, bursting into a LondonLondon
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
toilet. Joanne is crying and Kelly has a black eye. Eventually Kelly gets them on a train to Brighton
Brighton
Brighton is the major part of the city of Brighton and Hove in East Sussex, England on the south coast of Great Britain...
, and it is clear they are running from someone.
Joanne is an eleven-year-old runaway
Runaway youth
A runaway is a minor or a person under an arbitrary age, depending upon the local jurisdiction, who has left the home of his or her parent or legal guardian without permission, or has been thrown out by his or her parent and is considered by the local authorities to lack the capacity to live under...
who is procured by a reluctant Kelly into having sex with an old violent mobster with a taste for underage girls
Pedophilia
As a medical diagnosis, pedophilia is defined as a psychiatric disorder in adults or late adolescents typically characterized by a primary or exclusive sexual interest in prepubescent children...
. Kelly's pimp
Pimp
A pimp is an agent for prostitutes who collects part of their earnings. The pimp may receive this money in return for advertising services, physical protection, or for providing a location where she may engage clients...
, Derek, bullies her into complying, but it all goes horribly wrong, and the old mobster is killed, presumably by one of the girls. The older man's son, Stuart, then forces Derek to find the girls. The film follows the duo's flight from London in the wake of what has happened.
Arriving initially in Brighton, Kelly visits her friend Karen and tries to earn enough money through prostituting herself to help Joanne afford the train to Devon
Devon
Devon is a large county in southwestern England. The county is sometimes referred to as Devonshire, although the term is rarely used inside the county itself as the county has never been officially "shired", it often indicates a traditional or historical context.The county shares borders with...
, where the child's grandmother lives. The two are eventually tracked down by her pimp and his associate and taken to meet Stuart at a secluded field. Upon arrival, Kelly's pimp and associate are made to dig two graves, presumably for the girls. However, Stuart decides that the girls are the victims in this episode and decides instead to kill Kelly's pimp and associate. The film ends with Kelly and Joanne arriving at Joanne's grandma's house in Devon. Kelly watches from a distance as the girl and the grandmother hug, then turns away.
Cultural references
- The film is seen as belonging to the crime-thriller genre, but it also plays on the idea of social realismSocial realismSocial Realism, also known as Socio-Realism, is an artistic movement, expressed in the visual and other realist arts, which depicts social and racial injustice, economic hardship, through unvarnished pictures of life's struggles; often depicting working class activities as heroic...
with the themes of child prostitution and the runaway youthRunaway youthA runaway is a minor or a person under an arbitrary age, depending upon the local jurisdiction, who has left the home of his or her parent or legal guardian without permission, or has been thrown out by his or her parent and is considered by the local authorities to lack the capacity to live under...
.
Main cast
- Lorraine StanleyLorraine StanleyLorraine Stanley is a ALFS Award-nominated English actress, best known for playing Kelly in the BIFA Award-winning film London to Brighton.-Early life:...
as Kelly - Georgia GroomeGeorgia Groome-Career:Groome was one of the eight young adventurers on Serious Amazon in 2006 for CBBC. Groome had a well received starring role in the 2008 film Angus, Thongs and Perfect Snogging....
as Joanne - Sam SpruellSam SpruellSam Spruell is a British actor. His film credits include Defiance , Elizabeth: The Golden Age , London to Brighton , To Kill a King and K-19: The Widowmaker...
as Stuart Allen - Alexander MortonAlexander MortonAlexander "Sandy" Morton is a Scottish actor.-Acting career:Morton trained in London at the Central School of Speech and Drama from 1965–68 and is well known for his roles in several leading drama series, such as Taggart, Second Sight, Between the Lines, Minder, and Casualty, movies such as...
as Duncan Allen - Johnny HarrisJohnny Harris (actor)Johnny Harris is an English actor.Harris was born in Lambeth, London. He left school with no qualifications. He won the Junior ABA National Boxing title aged 16, and lived in Paris, France between the ages of 17 and 20 before returning to London and embarking on an acting career.Upon completion of...
as Derek - Chloe Bale as Karen
- Nathan ConstanceNathan ConstanceNathan Constance is an English actor. He is best known for his role as Ian Walmsley in the TV series Footballers' Wives, Leon Richards in the TV series Dream Team and as Josh Mitchell in the TV series Bad Girls...
as Chum
Critical reception
The film received mostly very positive reviews from critics. The British magazine produced for homeless people, The Big IssueThe Big Issue
The Big Issue is a street newspaper published in eight countries; it is written by professional journalists and sold by homeless individuals. It was founded by John Bird and Gordon Roddick in September 1991...
, called it "The best British film of the century," while The Guardian
The Guardian
The Guardian, formerly known as The Manchester Guardian , is a British national daily newspaper in the Berliner format...
dubbed it "the best British film of the year."
In July 2008, the review aggregator Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes
Rotten Tomatoes is a website devoted to reviews, information, and news of films—widely known as a film review aggregator. Its name derives from the cliché of audiences throwing tomatoes and other vegetables at a poor stage performance...
reported that 69% of critics gave the film positive reviews, based on 22 reviews. Metacritic
Metacritic
Metacritic.com is a website that collates reviews of music albums, games, movies, TV shows and DVDs. For each product, a numerical score from each review is obtained and the total is averaged. An excerpt of each review is provided along with a hyperlink to the source. Three colour codes of Green,...
reported the film had an average score of 55 out of 100, based on 7 reviews.
Awards and nominations
The film won a British Independent Film Award for Best Achievement in Production. The director also won several awards at various film festivals. Paul Andrew Williams won the Golden Hitchcock award at the Dinard Festival of British Cinema, the New Director's Award at the Edinburgh International Film Festival, Best Feature Film at the Foyle Film Festival, and a Jury Prize at the Raindance Film Festival.External links
- DVD review - London to Brighton guardian.co.uk, 30 April 2007
- London to Brighton Times Online, 30 November 2006
- London To Brighton (2006) BBC - Movies, 24 November 2006
- London to Brighton (2006) Timeout London, 29 November 2006
- London to Brighton - Trailer YouTube
Publications
- Stella Hockenhull, "An Aesthetic Approach to Contemporary British Social Realism: London to Brighton", Film and Romantic special issue, Jeffrey Crouse (ed.), Film International, Vol. 7, No. 6, December 2009