New Town Original (2005) Synopsis:
Mick is a young professional in Basildon who lives in a comfortable housing estate, works in an industrial park and hangs out with his friends. But, Mick's life is shaken up when he falls for Nicki, a girl whose ex is Si Naylor, a local thug. Now Mick is paranoid that the thug is out to get him. But, when he learns that Si has badly beaten his best friend, Mick decides to confront Si once and for all.
New Town Original (2005) Movie Review:
This independent drama was produced, filmed and distributed--completely outside the British film industry--by three Essex boys. It's a rather amateurish movie in many ways, but it shows considerable skill as it captures the real rhythms of life in England's new towns.
Mick (Jordan) is a young professional in Basildon who lives in a comfortable housing estate, works in an industrial park and hangs out with his friends in a leisure centre that contains bars, clubs, cinemas and even a bowling alley. But Mick's life is shaken up when he falls for a girl (Peachey) whose ex (NcNeilly) is a local thug. Now Mick is paranoid that the thug is out to get him, so he turns to friends and colleagues for advice. But they're not very helpful.
It's a very slim storyline, but it allows the filmmakers to really examine life in what could be any new town in Britain. There's no sense of history in the anonymous architecture; the micro-dramas feel like things everyone experiences. And writer-director Ford observes this tellingly, without over-dramatising the action and only briefly resorting to editing trickery. He nicely maintains this low-key vibe--relaxed, funny, authentic. Jordan gives the film an engaging centre; he's like a composite of Orlando Bloom and Jude Law, with a scrawny, boyish charm that reminds us he's really just a kid out on his own. The novice cast is fresh and engaging, although their inexperience shows in a few scenes that feel overacted and somewhat cliched.
Ford tells his simple tale cleverly, with a generous streak of humour that's balanced by an oddly heavy violent turn of events and a serious point underneath it all. Where it exceeds expectations is in the way he captures the imagery and pace of life in this environment. The camera work is excellent--sharply framed and lit--and the editing is sharp and telling. It looks like a fully budgeted movie, and this helps capture the laddy machismo that fuels this subculture, as well as the tentative yearning and the everyday boredom that just needs a bit of a jolt to the system. Intriguing and promising.
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New Town Original (2005) review written by: Rich Cline
7th September, 2008 
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