Lynn + Lucy

Movie night with Iris.

Debut from writer-director Fyzal Boulifa documents irresponsible parenting and its catastrophic results. However, of greater interest is the haste and heartlessness of the judgements which follow, with vilification spreading through a working-class community like a virus.

Filmed in nearby Harlow shot in a narrow frame Essex, you feel as trapped as the estate protagonists. Lynn + Lucy is a thought-provoking, worthy watch that asks us to see the human beings behind the horor headlines and consider the consequences of our words.

While I'm very much a fan of British kitchen-sink realism, I found Lynn + Lucy to be excessively turgid and ultimately quite tiresome. I understand the style, I understand the message and I understand the level of confronting bleakness. But the endless hesitancy and sullen silences of Roxanne Scrimshaw just became exhausting. People may wax lyrical about her performance but I found her portrayal to be contrived and unrealistic. I appreciate what Boulifa is trying to do with this film but for me it just felt a little forced and indulgent.

Saw the BBC logo and continued watching, more fool me.

Plus side, there was some great acting. There were also a couple of moments that took my breath, especially THAT confession from the main characters daughter.

The minus side, no real conclusion. Was she actually guilty then or not?

Overall... an embarrassing insight into the country we now live in. And some people think they're cool living like that.

Nicola Burley is the only light in this drama, the rest of it is dull. There is no ending, almost a depressing soap episode that doesn't have a follow through. The roles are all generic and nothing different. The monotonous dull scenes of how Lynn was feeling made me want to hit the fast forward button, although I didn't, when I got to the end I wish I had. Like watching paint dry.

Lynn and Lucy have been friends since high school. They live a normal middleclass life across the street from one another in a small town, and know they can count on each other for a laugh or a chat. Lynn is excited to be Lucy's first born's godmother, although the new mum isn't sure she's fit to be a mother, also dealing with her volatile boyfriend. After starting a new job as an assistant in a hairsalon, Lynn soon sees her tight friendship, community and own family questioned to the point of no return.

Writer and director Fyzal Boulifa has made a truly gut wrenching social drama, with at the center a subject not many storytellers like to tackle. Lynn + Lucy is the kind of film that surprises you more than once. As simple as it may look, Boulifa has found a way to ask the hard questions by putting its audience in the middle of a mental struggle with both main characters. Do you ever really know someone that literally lives right across the street from you? When does gossip take control of facts and vice versa? Does trust make us ignore clear warning signs or mute cries for help? Nothing is taboo for Boulifa. Just expect to leave the cinema all shaken up.

Protagonists Lynn + Lucy are played by Roxanne Scrimshaw + Nichola Burley respectively. Both give captivating tragic performances that leave a mark on you. You can't help but feel for Scrimshaw's Lynn, who has the kindest eyes, yet at the same time the close ups of her face show a sad side that constantly makes you want to protect her. She gives one of the strongest and rawest performances in a British film in a very long time. Burley's Lucy on the other hand, is so tormented by guilt and has a dying hunger for love. She shows off most of her acting talent after the film's central devastating event, and never steps on the brake. Both actors challenge and push each other to unseen levels.

The story doesn't need a score, since the quiet pauses between dialogues give us time to catch our breath. Accompanied by effective cinematography, this small drama stands out in a somewhat lost year for cinema. Lynn + Lucy should come with some sort of trigger warning, or at least get an appropriate rating, to make sure those who go in blindly know to brace themselves. Heavy subjects with a massive emotional impact make this social commentary on gossip, friendship and parenthood one of those films that lingers long after the end credits fade to black.