“This was a hard watch. It’s hard not to cringe at Matthews’s attempts to ingratiate himself, the way he is treated by the entourage, his petty jealousy, his revenge and the actions that enabled it. Morality is not on the song list and in these times of secret tapes and tiny cameras, the power of social media should not be underestimated.”
Con Nats
4 Long Lenses
Opens 25th November
Matthew (Théodore Pellerin) works as a shop assistant in a clothing store. He’s a loner who’s good with a camera. When rising soul star Oliver (Archie Madekwe) walks into his clothing store he pretends he doesn’t know who he is and catches his attention by playing some old soul.
This impresses Oliver and soon Matthew is a part of his posse. Well, he’s the cleaner boy dog’s-body part, until he flashes his camera work. Soon he’s working on a film clip and following them around with a camera for a documentary. He’s a creative opportunist.
Soon Matthew’s star and insta follower numbers are rising and he’s living a life a far cry from home with his grandmother. And one which he jealously protects.
His nasty flash of jealousy has him cut from the gang but Mathew still has one thing: rat cunning.
This is a clever immorality psychological thriller play which is also cleverly shot. The documentary footage and hand held quick shots are interspersed with longer traditional ones. The colours are as dark as the story. Director Alx Russel has used 16 mill film no less, which is a huge risk with these young actors.
This was a hard watch. It’s hard not to cringe at Matthews’s attempts to ingratiate himself, the way he is treated by the entourage, his petty jealousy, his revenge and the actions that enabled it. Morality is not on the song list and in these times of secret tapes and tiny cameras, the power of social media should not be underestimated.
This tells you the acting is convincing and the support from Havana Rose Lui (Shia) and Sunny Suljic (Jamie) complement the leads.
At times it’s hard to tell who is the nastiest and it’s hard to watch without cringing. Is our protagonist a nasty narcissist or just an obsessive fan? Do the rules change when fame is in the mix? Writer-Director Alex Russel’s work is an impressive debut which will have you questioning your senses.
4 Long Lenses
Con Nats, On The Screen
