AFF 2014: Starred Up

     Raw. Violent. Agonizing. Disturbing. These are a few of the words that could describe this small British film that takes place in a prison. Well, British films are all about the emotions and this one delivers too, and being a fan of British cinema I have to admit that I watched Starred Up with a lot of interest but it sort of lost me around the middle. Maybe it was because this was more of a "man's film" than I could bear or maybe it was because of my mood -and mood always plays a part on how you appreciate art- but still I couldn't get that much into it as other reviewers.

      Jack O'Connell (Skins) plays Eric, a "starred up" prisoner which according to the press notes means "premature transferal from juvenile to adult jail". He is transfered, thus, to an adult prison and instead of feeling intimidated or like a fish out of water he keeps having the violent and aggressive attitude that apparently brought him in jail in the first place. In there, however, he meets his own father (Ben Mendelsohn) who tries to convince him to change his ways so that he will be able to get out someday and live his life.
      The film is all about this father-son interaction as they both try hard to dominate one another and their relationship is as violent as their characters seem to be. Eric doesn't want to let anyone in, let alone his father who apparently hasn't been the proper role model to his son. As for the father, he tries desperately -but using the wrong methods- to make his son listen to him, not via conversation but via pure and violent pressure. The prison guards do not help either. They must have faced a lot of similar situations in the past so they aren't patient at all -with the exception of Rupert Fiend 's character who's a social worker that makes an effort to reach out to Eric-. Instead all the guards want to answer to violence with even more violence.
      The acting is suberb and the atmoshere is breath-taking as Starred Up feels like a documentary at times, with its very realistic point of view. However it's a tough watch, being a very naturalistic and raw presentation of prison hell. 

Share on Google Plus