Emily (Holly Grainger) and David (Thomas Turgoose) seem like two of the luckiest kids in the world. They live in a caravan park in Norfolk, free to run riot as their parents are caught up in their own lives. Following a run of glossy American films, this came as a nice change for me during my one year mission to watch a film every day. This starts off as a feel good British film, a beautiful opening scene shows off the excellent camera work that continues throughout (thanks to director Tom Harper). The young pair leap across caravan roofs, silhouettes against the sunset. It captures the innocence and mischievousness of youth delightfully. Noah and The Whales song '5 Years Time' plays to compliment the images of cartwheels on the beach, kite flying and ice-cream cones. It really made me reminisce to those glorious summer holidays at the seaside.
David and Emily have an oddly touching relationship that really drives the story. He is clearly besotted with his slightly older and reckless friend. They constantly jostle and tease each other, their playful banter adds to the charm. Grainger and Turgoose are fantastic as two friends treading the fine line between innocence and adulthood. The real world intrudes on their happy bubble as Emily is told she needs to leave their world to go and live with her father. She hatches a plot to hide in a small cave on the seafront while things settle down. David, ever the love struck boy enables the deception by lying to her mother, the police and the older man she seems to be having a fling with.
I love how British films never allow themselves to get too sugary sweet as it would have been all too easy to do here. Infact this film goes down a very different path. The main characters have an air of tragedy about them from the start and from these hints the film soon begins to twist in some very strange ways. The huge emotions they deal with as their innocence slips away delivered some very surprising and shocking moments. As Emily's disappearance drags on we see David begin to crack under the strain of keeping up the deception. His feelings for Emily also come to a head as she comes to rely on him more and more.
This film contained more truthful emotion than any Hollywood film I have seen in a long time. From a distraught mum turning to drink to cope with her daughter’s disappearance, to David realising how much his friend means to him as he speaks at a police press conference, there are some very convincing observations made. Big emotions are explained in simple words, plain speaking tongues explore their problems as they leave youthful innocence behind and begin to tread dark paths.
Several pretty big twists do keep you guessing as to where this story will end up. Proving to me again that you have to leave the mainstream of film making to find something capable of surprising you. Whether you will enjoy this journey is hard to say as the charm of the early scenes subsides as things begin to turn serious. Its ability to captivate does diminish but there is still a lot here to keep you interested until the very end.
7/10
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