"Coming Up" (2003) TV series 2003-????

Seasons:

1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7

Genre:

Drama

Tagline:

An anthology of half hour films by new writers

Awards:

1 nomination

Cast

Anthony Flanagan

...

Goose / ... (2 episodes, 2006-2008)

Country:

UK

Language:

English

Color:

Color

Company:

Ideal World Productions

'Tame' – not sure about it as a comment on mental illness but as a thrilling drama it works really well thanks to the structure and direction

Leon pops in to his home to pick up his brother for a trip; before getting out of his car he stuffs a gun into his coat pocket. The family is a mess – Leon is on edge, his blind grandmother is sarcastic, the dog has been brutally killed in the back yard, his sister Sophie is strung out and his brother Saul is schizophrenic and off his medication. The trip begins but then Leon tells Saul that he has arranged to meet up with Sophie for a walk in the woods.

Channel 4 in the UK may be responsible for bringing a lot of American imports over and it does sometimes seem like all it does is rerun Friends ad nauseam, but it also does something that other terrestrial channels don't seem to do as easily – encourage talent and promote short films. Its 'Outside' showcase is a big part of this and Coming Up is a prime example as it gives 30 minutes to new directors and writers to tell a story. I am always surprised that Channel 4 takes such a role where really it is the publicly funded BBC that should be taking the risks with stuff like this rather than the commercially driven stations. Anyway, Tame mixes good writing, a great structure and good direction to produce a great little film despite the weaknesses in narrative and a worrying undertone about mental illness.

The film has an interesting family history behind it but we never get deeper than the surface in that regard because its focus is the now. The flashback/forward technique adds intensity to early scenes and easily gripped me from the start, making me wonder what was happening etc. Ultimately it doesn't quite come off as a narrative but it is darkly satisfying in its own way. The direction is very good and this, along with the structure, really drew me in. I did question the film's comments (deliberate or not) on schizophrenia and intense violence but I was into the film so I didn't think too hard about it, but it is a worry at times regardless. The actors do OK but none of them are really that good – they are carried by the atmosphere and intense style and they seem happy to take the moments they are given and try their best but they are only serviceable.

Overall this is a good little film but it is driven by the structure and direction rather than a brilliant narrative or performances. The harking back to a bigger story is good as it gives the impression of depth and understanding that really we don't have, but it is the intense editing and violent imagery that kept me interested and had an ending that satisfied my dark side if not my desire for a story.