The Low Down

The Low Down can be rated as an undeveloped good idea, not more not less.

The good side of this movie is the effort to capture an transmit the confusion of those years, but it falls hard on that, sometimes the movie captures the esense of that behavior, but those not transmit anything at all. After watching the 96 minutes I was like `so what?', not a single feeling about the film or the characters, characters that just wander, one does not know where they come, where they go, what moves them, you can not make any contact with them just watch the as watching a pst in the street.

I am waiting for the next movie to see where the director goes; it can be a very good thing or jus another empty presumptuous thing.

This is a suprisingly affecting, and understatedly powerful portrayal of growing up. Its a about the need for answers, finding our way and some role in life, as we begin to explore ourselves making the transition from young adulthood to the next unknown. Personally, to me, its about finding our place in the world and being contented with that. The film doesn't provide any answers though, just a breathtakingly poignant, some might say pointless examination into that stage in our lives. The film is stylistically directed. Certainly there are similarities to the work of the 50-60s by the french new wave of Truffaut, Godard and co, in its simple yet effective (and seemingly) improvised use of creative camera technique i.e. freeze frame, slo mo etc. The performances (apparently improvised - well some of it) are absolutley astonishing in their realism. All the characters have an amazing rapport and chemistry with each other - you really do believe they have been friends for a lifetime. Thraves is marvellous but no more so than the other cast. So realistic are they, that no doubt you will have met similar individuals at some point in your life.

A mini masterpiece of a debut from a promising director. 9/10

This has a fresh "new wave" feel to it. It's filmed in an inventive and original style that makes it very watchable for most of its duration,

though there are influences, most notably Ken Loach with a hint of Mike Leigh on the acting side and Nicolas Roeg on the experimental way it's directed. It's not a total success it does seem to run out of steam towards the end, but it's still a very impressive first feature and hopefully the start of a long and interesting film career for the director. (7/10)

I've lived in North London, and I'm a similar age to that of the characters in the film, so for me everything in the film rang very true. It's great to watch a film that truly comes out of a real culture, and very refreshing to observe real comments on life, rather than just recognise well worn stereotypes. The interaction of the group of friends - the lines that people in relationships spin, when they say one thing, but mean something entirely different. A great film - funny & warm, and highly recommended.

I am taken aback by all the bad reviews. It glued me to the screen from the get go. The acting is superb, the characters nuanced and believable, the eye of the camera loving and inquisitive. I don't rate it a ten only because the ending is a bit facile. Maybe I especially empathised with this film because I am of that very generation and it all feels very real, very familiar - it didn't bring tears of nostalgia but it was almost too close to the bone. It reminds me of the Aldo Busi quote "What remains of all the pain we believed to suffer as youngsters?".