My Feral Heart

Very moving, poignant film about a man with Down's syndrome trying to regather his life after a tragedy. I haven't seen many films where the lead actor is disabled, and Steven Brandon does an absolutely extraordinary job here as 'Luke'. He absolutely nails the part.

Think of the work of Lynne Ramsay, Andrea Arnold, Clio Barnard and you may get the picture. It does a really fine job of tapping into the psyche of Luke and takes the viewer to some interesting metaphorical places. It also touches on the healing process, grief, guilt etc. There's also a very credible performance by Shana Swash as 'Eve', who takes care of Luke and provides a semi 'love interest' role. Susanne Salavati's cinematography is quite lovely at times too and there are some nice shots of the English countryside to set the mood.

The film is a tad rough around the edges, especially with a 'wtf' moment in the final act, but a fine effort for a first time director (Jane Gull). Really looking forward to see what she does next.