For anyone who was around in those heady 00's days, Giddy Stratospheres is a poignant reminder of the eternal 'striving for something better' that many must have felt at the time.
For a first time writer / actor, who also directed and produced this semi-autobiographical story (during lock down!!), Laura has made a solid effort at capturing the 00's music scene despite working with a shoe string budget.
There were many funny moments throughout though the humour is balanced precariously against the sadder sub-text of the story.
For me, certain scenes went on too long and I wondered whether this was done in order to ensure its running time though maybe Laura was just trying to immerse us in fleeting moments and draw us further into that halcyon world.
There are a few strong performances such as Jamal Franklin who's supporting lead gave many nice moments as he veered between overgrown teenager and sensible shoulder for Laura's character to lean on.
A twist in the tale really took me by surprise and was really touching though of course I wont write any plot spoilers here!
Giddy Stratospheres left me wishing the 00's had never ended and is a lovely debut with a lot of heart though it will be interesting to see what Laura does next. I'm sure it will be great.
