Shadows on the Wall

The Score

dir-scr Malachi Smyth
prd Ben Pullen, Matthew James Wilkinson
with Will Poulter, Naomi Ackie, Johnny Flynn, Lydia Wilson, Lucian Msamati, Roger Ashton-Griffiths, Danny Morgan, Louis Vause, Song-Hung Chang, Erol Mehmet, Orla Coverley, Lillie Flynn
release US 3.Jun.22,
UK 9.Sep.22
21/UK 1h40

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An offbeat genre mashup, this British film is equal parts musical, crime thriller and romantic comedy. It's also written and directed with electrical energy by Malachi Smyth, mining the thoughts and feelings of characters even as events spiral in some perhaps implausible directions. Meanwhile, the terrific cast dives into the heightened roles and charged situations with gusto, engaging the audience with the deeper emotions running through each scene.

After collecting a bag of cash from its hiding place, the hyperactive Troy (Poulter) heads off on a mission with his friend Mike (Flynn). They arrive at an isolated cafe for a hand-off, and as they wait Troy begins flirting with the barista Gloria (Ackie) and chatting to a persistent photographer (Msamati). Several colourful customers come and go, adding to an underlying sense that something isn't quite right, but Troy is so distracted by Gloria that he barely notices. He certainly doesn't spot Mike's girlfriend Sally (Wilson) when she quietly turns up outside.

With its single setting and a central trio surrounded by strikingly idiosyncratic figures, the film often feels theatrical. Especially with the introspective songs, which were written by Flynn. Gifted cinematographer Darran Bragg makes everything remarkably vivid as day slowly shifts into night, transforming the surrounding woods from warm to menacing. The film's varying tones are sometimes jarring, but cleverly reflect the shadings of real life, even within a heightened place where people quietly begin singing their internal feelings.

To characters who are already complex and authentically messy, the three lead actors add even more textures, hinting at intriguingly under-unexplained back-stories. Poulter makes Troy an engagingly kinetic force: even with his violently unpredictable temper, he's a likeably curious guy who makes the most of each bizarre situation. His connection with Flynn's opaque Mike is fascinating, layered with insinuation and mistrust. Fully scruffed-up, Mike is a bit obviously up to no good, but Flynn offers insight into his doubts and fears. And Ackie also brings a swirling mix of smart observation and shifting emotion.

With its almost too-sharp dialog, the closest comparison here might be to the stage/screen work of Martin McDonagh. But by bringing in Flynn's unusually soulful songs, which blur folk and rock genres, Smyth has created a remarkably original crime drama that pulls the audience into the untidy inner workings of its characters. And even though it's skilfully assembled with attention to detail, there's a wonderful sense of the unpredictability of life, the erratic nature of justice and the dangers of only thinking for yourself.

themes, language, violence 28.Jul.22

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