The Last Days of Edgar Harding

I love Indie movies and was looking forward to finding a hidden gem because I love the actors, but this was a total mess and a huge disappointment. A hard pass.

Firstly, I have to mention that I am the boyfriend of a crew member, although I did meet her two years after filming so technically I'm not involved in the film. I was lucky enough to attend the premiere at the Bradford Media Museum last week and the film has been on my mind ever since! As a short film director I like to think I know a little about the low budget film world and I could go on about all the things that I think could have been done better but to be honest, these guys deserve nothing but praise for what they have accomplished. The simple fact is that what transcends through the few issues that make it appear to be a low budget film is a bloody great story! This could have been shot on an iphone and would still have worked because it was clearly well thought out in the writing stage. Credit has to go to Stephen Fox for coming up with such an original idea. Hollywood can have their 250 million dollar movies with their 3D special effects, over paid superstars and predictable stories , I'll settle for movies like this. It may be rough around the edges and ambitious but from 10 minutes in it had me hooked and it did not disappoint. I sincerely hope that this movie is the beginnings of a long writing career for Stephen as he is just what this industry needs. It's dark but not depressing and funny but not overstated. The music is stunning and my girlfriend tells me that Stephen and the producer wrote some of the songs along with 90's popstar Sam Brown. Stand out actors have to be Daniel Sharman (underused in my opinion)Richard Massara, who gives a harrowing performance at times and Michael Gamarano who adds the comic lines. Other notable performances come from Carolynne Good, Daniel Dervan (again underused) Wayne Russell who gives a slightly over the top portrayal of Edgar Harding but for some reason it works and Jay Aston (Buck Fizz) who surprisingly pops up in a small but pivotal role giving a promising and purposeful performance. I have paid money for numerous low budget and high end DVD's that don't even come close to captivating me as this film did. I hope it gets a chance to be seen beyond the 400 or so people at the premiere.

This a great film, the story is strong, the music is strong, the performances were great. Enjoyed every min of the film. Stephen has done a brilliant job here, with plenty going on in the film and plenty of twists. The story is a dramatic one and doesn't disappoint at any stage. The pace of the film is good too, there's no boring bits, and there are some cracking music tracks. There's humour in the film too but Stephen hasn't over done it with that. I wasn't sure what to expect, but, the film was better that what I thought it would be being a 'first film' for Stephen. You can feel the love and heartache that has gone into making the picture. Highly recommended.

It's like the Director took notes on what makes a good movie and did the complete opposite. A boring incoherent plot that has no payoff. A real stinker.

For a budget of only 26,000 this film is a huge achievement for independent film making. The story revolves around a band on the verge of making it big and covers such issues of prejudice, sexuality and morality, and relates well to todays obsession with fame, money and celebrity. The story while dark at times also manages to inject humor and wit and the characters gel well with each other. The sound track for the film is excellent and compliments the plot and characters beautifully. All in all The film is a testament that good films can still be made inspite of a small budget and limited resources, and I look forward to the next installment from Stephen Fox et al.