Stars: Lorraine Stanley, Georgia Groome

Director: Paul Williams

Summary:

LONDON TO BRIGHTON is a gritty and unflinching drama about the lowlifes and criminals that inhabit London’s seedy underworld. The film opens on a rundown public toilet somewhere in South London, where a prostitute tries to console a visibly distraught 11-year old girl. As the story unfolds in flashback, we learn more about these characters, their wounds, and how they came to be in their current predicaments. Kelly (Lorraine Stanley) is a beat-up prostitute trying to escape her controlling pimp. While her motives for helping Joanne (Georgia Groome) seem genuine at first, things soon turn ugly when an encounter with a male client leads to murder. Cut to the present day and Kelly and Joanne are on the run; from the nefarious thugs out to do them harm, and from their own demons. Boarding a train from London to Brighton seems like their only hope, but ends up being a journey of self-discovery as the mother-daughter-like bond between them grows ever stronger. Winner of Best UK Feature at Raindance, LONDON TO BRIGHTON has earned comparisons to Mike Leigh's similarly-themed NAKED and Gary Oldman’s NIL BY MOUTH. Director Paul Andrew Williams, in his feature film debut, has created a brutally realistic urban thriller, a carefully measured character study, and a razor-sharp, if unpalatable, social commentary that will stay with you long after the closing credits roll.

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2006 proved to be an impressive year for British cinema, but London To Brighton, in spite of being one of the most deserving of acclaim, slipped off most people’s radar.

A drama set around London’s underworld, and attempts to escape it, London To Brighton tells the story of a twelve year old runaway girl, Joanne, and Kelly, a prostitute. Their attempts to get out of London aren’t straightforward, not least because of who’s on their tail, and the result is a compelling, tightly-written movie, and as good as anything Britain produced for the big screen in 2006.

London To Brighton is a mixture of thriller and drama, very gritty, not always easy to watch, and resolute in pulling its many punches. Written and directed with care by Paul Andrew Williams, perhaps his wisest move was casting the simply superb Lorraine Stanley as Kelly, and her compelling performance lends an added magnetism to an already-taut piece of cinema.

In many ways working as well on DVD as it did on the big screen, London To Brighton is a challenging, bold and strong film. It’s not perhaps the perfect tonic for a quiet night in, but it’s likely to stay in your head for a good deal longer than another homogenous romcom. --Jon Foster

Main Language:	English
Region:	Region 2
Special Features:	Director's commentary, Alternative ending, Deleted scenes, Georgia Groome audition tape, Short film - Royalty
Year:	2006
Release Date:	April 30, 2007
Runtime:	85 minutes
Certification:
Catalogue Number:	M P 725 D
Keywords:	London, English, Brighton, Drama, Thriller
Genre:	Drama